Detection of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis IgM and IgG Antibodies and Associated Risk Factors Among Apparently Healthy Undergraduate Students of a Private University in South-West Nigeria
Background: Infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB) is frequent among Nigerians. Many people are infected without realizing it (asymptomatic) and thus provide a risk of transmission to others. Not only will early treatment prevent TB complications, but it will also help to break the infection cycle in a community. Objective: The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis IgM and IgG antibodies and associated risk factors among apparently healthy undergraduate Students of Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State. Methodology: The serum samples of 100 consenting participants were collected randomly and screened for TB antibodies using Aria TB IgG/IgM Combo Rapid Antibody Test Cassette (CTK Biotech Inc. Poway, CA 92064, USA). A structured questionnaire was administered to consenting students to obtain information on their bio-data (e.g, the age, sex, study level etc.), as well as clinical information regarding their health (History of TB, history of BCG vaccination, use of anti-TB medications, alcohol consumption, smoking habits etc.). Results: The outcome of this study shows that 15 (15%) out of the 100 participants screened, were positive for TB IgG antibody, while, only 1 (1%) person was positive for TB IgM antibody. There was no significant association (P>0.05) between percentage TB IgG positivity and the socio-demographic characteristics of the study participants (gender, age, study level and tribe), except for religion. The percentage of TB IgG positivity among the study participants was found to be significantly higher than of TB IgM positivity (PConclusion: The findings of this study show that asymptomatic and latent tuberculosis infection exists among the study participants, and that if left untreated, it will progress to active tuberculosis with all of its associated complications, including death. This emphasizes the importance of ongoing public health education, BCG vaccination, and periodic screening to detect asymptomatic cases in the study population in order to break the infection cycle.