Association between serum PGE₂ levels and degree of acid-fast bacilli positivity in sputum of pulmonary tuberculosis patients

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis that infected apoptotic macrophages is triggered by PGE₂. Apoptosis suppresses the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which is shown in the results of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) in the sputum that becomes a marker of the number of bacteria. Objective: Analyzing the association between serum PGE₂ levels and the positivity of AFB in the sputum of tuberculosis patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from August 2019–July 2020. Serum PGE₂ levels and AFB levels in sputum were collected from participants. Data analysis used the Chi-square test and Spearman's correlation with p < 0.05. Results: The average participants’ serum PGE₂ levels were 446.37 ± 510.27 pg/ml, with a median value of 216.95 pg/ml. Most participants had normal serum PGE₂ levels (62.9%). Most participants had a high positivity of AFB in sputum (58.1%). Analysis of the association between serum PGE₂ levels and the degree of AFB positivity in sputum obtained r = −0.036 and p-value = 0.780. Conclusion: There is a weak negative association between serum PGE₂ levels and the degree of AFB positivity in sputum but not statistically significant.