STUDY OF DRUG RESISTANCE PROFILE IN RETREATMENT CASES OF PULMONARY TUBERCULOSIS IN A TERTIARY CARE CENTRE

Main Article Content

Dr. Kanabur Prashanth
Dr. K. Thirthashree
Dr. Pynuru Lalitha

Keywords

Drug Resistance, Tuberculosis, CBNAAT, Line Probe Assay, Comorbidities.

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, remains one of the world’s deadliest communicable diseases, with India accounting for 2.1 million cases annually and ranking second in the global burden of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB. Approximately 50,000 MDR-TB cases are recorded each year among retreatment pulmonary TB cases in India. This study aims to determine the proportion and pattern of drug resistance in retreatment cases of pulmonary tuberculosis.


Methodology


A prospective observational study was conducted over a period of 18 months at Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital, Bengaluru, including both outpatient and inpatient cases, as well as patients suspected of drug resistance TB at the Revised national tuberculosis control programme (RNTCP) centre/ (National tuberculosis elimination programme (NTEP). All participants regardless of  their sputum status ,provided two sputum samples which were analysed by cartridge based nucleic acid amplification test (CBNAAT) and line probe assays (LPA) for first- and second-line drugs and/or drug susceptibility testing at a state-accredited laboratory.


Results


Of 100 patients enrolled, 14 were found to be drug-resistance, twelve with resistance to both rifampicin and isoniazid and two with isoniazid mono-resistance. All other patients were sensitive to both first-line and second-line anti-tubercular drugs. Co-morbidities such as diabetes, HIV, malnutrition and social habits including smoking, alcohol consumption and tobacco use were associated with increased incidence of drug resistance.


Conclusion


Early diagnosis using molecular methods and prompt initiation of appropriate antitubercular therapy are crucial for reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with drug-resistant TB.

Abstract 219 | PDF Downloads 43

References

[1] Sakula A. Robert Koch (1843-1910): founder of the science of bacteriology and discoverer of the tubercle bacillus: a study of his Life and Work. Can Vet J 1983;24(4):124-7.
[2] Gutierrez MC, Brisse S, Brosch R, et al. Ancient origin and gene mosaicism of the progenitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. PLoS Pathog 2005;1(1):e5.
[3] Hershkovitz I, Donoghue HD, Minnikin DE, et al. Detection and molecular characterization of 9,000-year-old Mycobacterium tuberculosis from a Neolithic settlement in the Eastern Mediterranean. PLoS One 2008;3(10):e3426.
[4] Miotto P, Cirillo DM, Migliori GB. Drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis: molecular mechanisms challenging fluoroquinolones and pyrazinamide effectiveness. Chest 2015;147(4):1135-43.
[5] Gosavi AD, Nandimath VA, Mangulikar SK. A cross-sectional study among defaulters of DOTS under RNTCP in tuberculosis units of Solapur city. International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health 2019;6(3):1167-71.
[6] Global tuberculosis reports [Internet]. [Cited 2025 Jul 14]. Available from: https://www.who.int/teams/global-programme-on-tuberculosis-and-lung-health/tb-reports
[7] Guidelines – central tuberculosis division [Internet]. [Cited 2025 Jul 14]. Available from: https://tbcindia.mohfw.gov.in/guidelines/
[8] Mishra GP, Mulani JD. First National Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Survey (NDRS) from India - An Eye Opener. J Infectiology 2018;1(2):26-9.
[9] Sureshkumar D, Gopalakrishnan R. Drug susceptibility pattern of M. Tuberculosis isolated from patients attending a private hospital. Am J Infect Dis 2011;7(4):104-6.
[10] Kumar A, Singh AK, Upadhyay V, et al. Epidemiology of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis in Northern India. Biomedical and Biotechnology Research Journal (BBRJ) 2018;2(2):112-21.
[11] Khan R, Ahmad M, Raghav SK. Prevalence of rifampicin resistance tuberculosis in newly diagnosed and previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending the Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, Muzaffarnagar. Int Arch BioMed Clin Res 2019;5(2):7-9.
[12] Gupta A, Mathuria JP, Singh SK, et al. Antitubercular drug resistance in four healthcare facilities in North India. J Health Popul Nutr 2011;29(6):583–92.
[13] Balaji V, Daley P, Anand AA, et al. Risk factors for MDR and XDR-TB in a tertiary referral hospital in India. PLoS One 2010;5(3):e9527.
[14] Sharma SK, Kumar S, Saha PK, et al. Prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis among category II pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Indian J Med Res 2011;133(3):312-5.
[15] Pradhan N, Desai S, Kagal A, et al. Patterns of TB drug-resistance in a tertiary care facility in Pune, India. Clin Microbial 2013;2:123.
[16] Tripathy S, Kumar R, Singh SD. Prevalence of multidrug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis in north Bihar. J Clin Diagn Res 2015;9(11):LC09-12.
[17] Raazi J, Prakash S, Parveen K, et al. Risk factors of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in urban Allahabad, India. Int J Community Med Public Health 2017;4:2383-8.
[18] Acharya P, Bhattarai N, Kunwar BR, et al. Risk factors of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis among tuberculosis patients in province 3, Nepal: a case-control study. medRxiv. 2024:2024-06.
[19] Bhatt G, Vyas S, Trivedil K. An epidemiological study of multi drug resistant tuberculosis cases registered under Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme of Ahmedabad City. Indian J Tuberc 2012;59(1):18-27.
[20] Gaude GS, Hattiholli J, Kumar P. Risk factors and drug-resistance patterns among pulmonary tuberculosis patients in northern Karnataka region, India. Niger Med J 2014;55(4):327-32.
[21] Johnson J, Kagal A, Bharadwaj R. Factors associated with drug resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis. Indian J Chest Dis Allied Sci 2003;45(2):105–9.
[22] Angrup A, Varma-Basil M, et al. Drug resistance among Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from private clinics and a dots center in Delhi, India. Southeast Asian J Trop Med Public Health 2011;42(1):122–7.
[23] Akhtar AM, Arif MA, Kanwal S, et al. Prevalence and drug resistance pattern of MDR TB in retreatment cases of Punjab, Pakistan. J Pak Med Assoc 2016;66(8):989-93.
[24] Banu S, Rahman MT, Ahmed S, et al. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Bangladesh: results from a sentinel surveillance system. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2017 ;21(1):12-7.
[25] Girum T, Muktar E, Lentiro K, et al. Epidemiology of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (Mdr-tb) in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence, determinants and treatment outcome. Trop Dis Travel Med Vaccines 2018;4:5.
[26] Ibrahim E, Baess AI, Al Messery MA. Pattern of prevalence, risk factors and treatment outcomes among Egyptian patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis. Egyptian Journal of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis 2017;66(3):405-11.
[27] Mukherjee P, Karmakar PR, RivuBasu, et al. Sociodemographic and clinical profile of multi drug resistant tuberculosis patients: a study at drug resistant tuberculosis centers of Kolkata. IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS) 2015;14(8):52-8.
[28] More SW, Parande MA, Kamble SW, et al. Profile of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Western Maharashtra. J Family Med Prim Care 2017;6(1):29-33.
[29] Mishra VK, Verma R, Sharma A, et al. A study to assess the profile of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in tertiary care hospital setting. Sch J App Med Sci 2016;4(3C):820-7.
[30] Shah AM, Shah RB, Dave PN. Factors contributing to development of multidrug resistant tuberculosis. Natl J Physiol Pharm Pharmacol 2018;8(10):1463-9.
[31] Rao P, Chawla K, Shenoy VP, et al. Study of drug resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis cases in south coastal Karnataka. J Epidemiol Glob Health 2015;5(3):275-81.
[32] Venkatesh U, Srivastava DK, Srivastava AK, et al. Epidemiological profile of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients in Gorakhpur Division, Uttar Pradesh, India. J Family Med Prim Care 2018;7(3):589-95.
[33] Rieder HL. Fourth-generation fluoroquinolones in tuberculosis. Lancet 2009;373(9670):1148-9.