[Purpose] Comparison of TB incidence in young and middle age group between urban⁄surrounding area and other area.
 [Material & Methods] TB incidence in young and middle age group by sex, nationality, labor status and prefecture is calculated with data of National Population Survey and TB surveillance in 2005. Risk factors of TB infection⁄break down such as public transportation, poverty, population density, diabetes, malignancy, HIV infection, foreigners are compared between urban⁄surrounding area and other area.
 [Results] TB incidence of employees, jobless and housekeepers in urban⁄surrounding prefectures is higher than other prefectures, but TB incidence of housekeepers is low and difference is small. Utilization frequency of public transportation is correlated with prefectural level of TB incidence of male and female employees. There is no correlation with prevalence of other risk factors.
 [Discussion] Public transportation and working in urban area is indicated as causes of difference of TB infection risk. Reinforcement of TB control program of working places in urban area is important and if necessary contact survey of TB outbreak at public transportation should be considered. Further analysis using more precise indicators is necessary to elucidate for influence of poverty.

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 [Purpose] To investigate the possibility and obstacles to care tuberculosis patients in general hospitals.
 [Object & Method] Sending questionnaire to the general and psychiatric hospitals running the model–beds for tuberculosis patients care, which have been the project proposed by Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and analyzing their answers.
 [Result] Answer sheets were recovered from 43 of 75 (57%) hospitals which were the objects of this investigation. Situations of running the model–beds were highly diverse. 74% of the hospitals assumed that the general hospitals (, if some conditions were satisfied,) could care most of the tuberculosis patients. Problems in running the model–beds pointed by the hospitals were ; HIC (hospital infection control) procedures pressing extra–workload (37%), low occupancy rate of the model–beds (30%), high cost of equipments for HIC (28%), high workload and high cost for tuberculosis patients care (21%), low fee for tuberculosis care (16%), difficulties of caring psychologically and⁄or physically unstable tuberculosis patients in rooms separate from the nurse station (16%), difficulties in long–term in–hospital care due to lack of sufficient amenities (14%), difficulties in accepting tuberculosis patients with short notice (12%), heavy burden for nurses who have to care for patients with associated conditions unfamiliar to them (12%), difficulties in maintaining quality of tuberculosis care (7%), risk of infection to the staffs and other patients (5%) and others miscellaneous problems (16%).
 [Conclusion] Needs for tuberculosis patients' care in general hospitals are expected to further increase in the near future, but to cope with the above situation many problems are still to be solved. Hereafter we must expand the project of model–beds for tuberculosis care, and accumulate more experiences in tuberculosis patients' care in general hospitals.

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 [Purpose] Evaluation of the INNO–LiPA MYCOBACTERIA v2 (the INNO–LiPA assay) for mycobacterial identification.
 [Materials and Methods] The laboratory identifications consisting of Cobas Amplicor systems, AccuProbe, and DDH, are commonly used to identify mycobacterial isolates in Japan. We compared the results between the INNO–LiPA assay and the common methods. A total of 122 clinical isolates from NHO Kinki–chuo Chest Medical Center from 1 February to 30 June 2006 were tested.
 [Results] There was agreement between the INNO–LiPA assay and the common methods for 112 mycobacterium isolates. The six discordant isolates have showed same results between sequencings and the INNO–LiPA assay. The one M. fortuitum isolates was indicated correctness by DDH and the one M. intracellulare isolates was recognized by Cobas Amplicor systems and as MAC by AccuProbe MAC. Moreover, discrepant results between sequencings and mycobacterial identifications including the INNO–LiPA assay were 2 isolates (M. paraffinicum, M.mucogenicum variant type).
 [Conclusion] The INNO–LiPA assay could provide rapid and correct identification results with clear–cut and easy interpretation.

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As mentioned in the previous report, PTB mortality by prefecture was printed in the “Statistics Annual”, however, the population based on which the rate was calculated was not shown in the “Statistics Annual ”. In Japan, family register system was introduced in 1872, and every Japanese had to be registered at municipality where their family live. Based on this registry, statistics on registered population by sex and age, and by prefecture was available.
 In case when some family member(s) move to place other than registered place, he/she has to report to the local municipality in which they reside. When they move further to other place, the same procedure was required. Population based on this temporary registration system was named as A-type population, however, it did not show the population actually living in the municipality.
 Many persons newly register when they move in, however, forget to report to the previous residence when they move out. Overall numbers of move-in always larger than move-out. To adjust for this discrepancy and to estimate actually living population by each prefecture, the difference of move-in and move-out in a certain prefecture was multiplied by the ratio of total move-in and move-out in a certain prefecture and that of the whole country. Thus calculated population was designated as B-type population, and was proximate to actually living population in each prefecture.
 As B-type population was tabulated by sex in each prefecture, PTB mortality by sex could be calculated by using this B-type population, and the calculated figures were shown in Table 3 by sex for each prefecture. The correlation between PTB mortality by prefecture printed in the“ Statistics Annual” and that calculated by using B-type population in 1886, 1892 and 1899 were shown in Fig. 4. Both coincide well nearly in all prefectures, except Tokyo and Hokkaido in 1886 and 1892, and in Tokyo in 1899. It was shown how difficult it was to estimate actually living population in an area where population move was very active, however, in general, in other prefectures both coincided well, and figures shown in Table 3 could be used to estimate PTB mortality in each prefecture by sex.
 Since 1899, ICD (International Classification of Diseases) was adopted in Japan as causes of death, and TB of all forms were divided into PTB, TB meningitis, intestinal TB and TB of other organs. As phthisis mortality was also available in 1899, correlation between PTB (Phthisis) mortality and that of TB of all forms was shown in Fig. 5 by age groups and by prefecture. The former was higher than the latter, and observing by age groups, correlation was not good in infants and elder population 60 years and over. In large cities like Tokyo and Oosaka, figures of the former were higher than the latter. It was indicated that it was not appropriate to combine and analyze the trend of PTB (Phthisis) mortality with the TB mortality statistics after 1899 adopting ICD.

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