ANTI-TUBERCULOSIS ASSAY FOR MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF MULTI DRUG AND EXTENDED DRUG RESISTANT MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS IN AN URBAN SETTING

Abstract

Objective This study was aimed to detect the rate of positive cases in urban setting of Punjab along with MDR and XDR cases using LPA, GeneXpert and hematological profile. Design: A cross-sectional study. Setting: The study was conducted at the Punjab Aids Control Program. All sample were collected along with the socio-demographics characteristics of patients. Main Outcome Measure: These samples undergo Microscopy, Culture, Gene X pert and LPA to confirmed microbiological status of patients. EDTA collected blood was tested for complete blood counts using hematology analyzer. Results Out of 1335 positive samples confirmed by Culture, Microscopy, GeneXpert and LPA, 4.5% were resistant to rifampin and isoniazid while 3.5% were resistant to second line fluoroquinolones using LPA. 14.7% Neutropenia, 17% anemia and 5.54% thrombocytopenia were observed. ESR was high in all participants. Conclusions: GeneXpert and LPA to be a fundamental diagnosis for the detection of MDR and XDR. LPA outperformed in detection of resistant of TB compared to GeneXpert. It is better than conventional culture in terms of resistance detection. Prevalence of anemia and neutropenia was high in patients with TB and other co-morbidity.