ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Shushant I. Jigan1, Jyoti M. Nagamoti1 , S.L. Hoti2, Mahantesh B. Nagamoti1, Priyanka S. Kundekar3, Alex Carvalho4
and H.P. Jai Shanker Pillai5
1Department of Microbiology, JN Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
2Emeritus Scientist, ICMR-Vector Control Research Centre, Pondicherry, India.
3Department of Microbiology, Govindram Seksaria Science College, Tilakwadi, Belgaum, Karnataka, India.
4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, JN Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
5Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Komar University of Science and Technology, Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, Iraq.
Article Number: 11163 | © The Author(s). 2026
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2026;20(1):817-830. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.20.1.63
Received: 20 November 2025 | Accepted: 20 January 2026 | Published online: 09 March 2026
Issue online: March 2026
Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and immunocompromised patients at high risk. Pulmonary mycotic infections often mimic TB and may co-exist, leading to misdiagnosis and poor outcomes. We conducted a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 282 pulmonary cases. All patients underwent sputum analysis for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and evaluation for fungal co-infection. Data on HIV status and other immunocompromising conditions were recorded. We compared the prevalence of pulmonary fungal infections between MDR-TB and drug-susceptible TB cases, and between immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. Fungal infections were detected in 128 patients (45.4%). The common isolates were Candida species (74 cases) and Aspergillus species (24 cases), followed by other opportunistic fungi. Pulmonary fungal co-infection prevalence was significantly higher in MDR-TB patients than in drug-susceptible TB patients (60.0% vs 42.6%, p = 0.03). Likewise, immunocompromised TB patients showed higher fungal co-infection rates than immunocompetent patients (70.4% vs 39.5%, p = 0.001). On multivariate analysis, MDR-TB and immunocompromised status were independently associated with increased odds of pulmonary mycotic infection. No significant association with sex was observed, but patients aged 21-40 and 61-80 had higher odds of fungal co-infection compared to those ≤20 years. In this cohort, pulmonary fungal infections were frequent among TB patients, especially those with MDR-TB or immunocompromised conditions. Our findings underscore the need for routine screening for fungal infections in TB patients with drug-resistant disease or immunosuppressive conditions may aid early detection and improve outcomes in this vulnerable population.

Keywords

Coinfection, Candida, Aspergillus, HIV, Diabetes, Colonization

Article Metrics

Article View: 162

Share This Article

© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.