Detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis in urinary bladder cancer tissues by using transmission electron microscope

Abstract EN

Background : Bladder cancer is one of the most common human cancers in Iraq and the world.

While smoking, age sex, and occupational exposure to aromatic amines are the most prominent among the risk factors identified, long term Inflammation and chronic infection may largely play some role in urinary bladder cancer (UBC) development.

In the present study we worked on urinary bladder cancer and noncancerous Formalin-Fixed Paraffin Embedded (FFPE) Tissue specimens of Iraqi patients, the current study used Acid Fast Stain and Transmission Electron Microscope for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Urinary Bladder tissues.

Objectives : microscopical detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in urinary bladder cancer.

Methods : The current study used urinary bladder cancer (UBC) formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissues (FFPET) specimens of Iraqi patients collected from several privet histopathology labs in AL-Najaf province, the specimens were 50 specimens of UBC patients and 25 different noncancerous pathological bladder specimens.

Slides of urinary bladder FFPE tissues were stained with Ziehl-Neelsen(ZN) stain.

Examining of slides were conducted using Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) imaging was performed special procedure was used for TEM slides preparation.

Results : FFPE tissues were stained with Ziehl-Neelsen(ZN) stain.

Examining of slides showed presence of high number of acid fast bacilli (AFB) in one microscopical field.

UBC tissue slides showed the highest percentage comparing to noncancerous patients (76.6 % and 23.4 %) respectively.

For further confirmation and study of ZN stain results, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) imaging was performed.

The results showed presence of different morphological shapes of acid fast bacilli cells appeared in TEM fields and most cells were observed attaching to the urothelial cell membrane.

Conclusions : high percentage of MTBC and MTB were detected among patients with UBC compared to noncancerous cases.

Recommendations: modern techniques should be used for MTBC and MTB detection in laboratories, and further study for the relationship between chronic MTB infection and UBC are required.