Epidemiology of tuberculosis and susceptibility to antituberculosis drugs in Reunion Island

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis is the first fatal infectious agent in the world with 1.2 million annual deaths for 10 million cases. Little is known about the epidemiology of tuberculosis and its resistance in Reunion Island, which is at the heart of migratory flows from highly endemic Indian Ocean territories. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective observational study of cases of tuberculosis disease in Reunion Island between 2014 and 2018. The epidemiological, demographic, microbiological, clinical and social characteristics were analyzed from mandatory declarations, microbiology database and medical files. RESULTS: 265 cases of tuberculosis disease were recorded over the period, ie an incidence of 6.2 / 100,000 inhabitants. 114 patients (43%) were born or resided > 6 months in the rest of the Indian Ocean area. The risk of infection was increased if birth in Madagascar (OR 23.5), Comoros (OR 8.9) or Mayotte (OR 6.8). The prevalence of HIV co-infection was low (2.5%). There were 31 cases (14.4%) of resistance to antituberculosis including 3 (1.4%) of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and 0 case of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. The female gender (61.3% of resistant) was associated with resistance. The resistance rate was not significantly different depending on the geographic origin. CONCLUSION: This is the first exhaustive epidemiological study of tuberculosis in Reunion Island. The incidence there is relatively low but increased for people with links to neighboring islands, particularly Madagascar. The prevalence of multidrug resistance is low, with no associated increased risk for patients from the Indian Ocean area.