PREVALENCE OF MDR TB AND XDR TB IN ALL SPUTUM POSITIVE TB PATIENTS AT A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

Abstract

Background

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is difficult to treat and poses a health risk to the community, particularly in developing nations. We evaluated the prevalence of MDR TB and XDR TB among sputum-positive TB patients at Nodal DRTB centre of Tertiary Care Hospital in Vidharbha region of Maharashtra.

Method

This was a hospital based observational study conducted among 139 sputum-positive TB patients aged above 18 years from 1st January 2023 to 31st December 2024. Upfront  CBNAAT/TrueNAAT test (True Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) was done in all patients and those with rifampicin resistance were further subjected to first-line and second-line Line Probe Assay at the Intermediate Reference Laboratory, STDC, Nagpur after obtaining clearance  from institutional ethics committee.

Results

We found 7.2%  prevalence of MDRTB (Multi Drug Resistant Tuberculosis), with resistance primarily to Rifampicin and Isoniazid. Importantly, no cases of XDRTB (Extensive Drug Resistant Tuberculosis) were detected.  The prevalence of MDR TB was slightly higher in the older age group (>40 years), males (9.0%) and rural residents (8.2%), although neither differences reached statistical significance. However, the association between HIV status and MDRTB was significant, with 33.3% of HIV-positive patients having MDRTB, compared to 4.7% of HIV-negative patients.

Conclusion

MDR TB is the ongoing public health challenge, especially in vulnerable populations like older age group, calls for enhanced focus on HIV co-infection and rural health interventions to effectively combat this dual epidemic.