Initial drug resistance pattern among pulmonary tuberculosis patients.

BACKGROUND: Drug resistant tuberculosis (DRTB) is an emerging problem that adversely affects treatment outcomes and public health in the developing world.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the initial drug resistance pattern among pulmonary tuberculosis patients registered under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme.

STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study design.

SETTING: Two urban Directly Observed Treatment Supervised (DOTS) centres in Lucknow District of Uttar Pradesh.

METHODS: The present study consisted of newly diagnosed sputum smear-positive for acid-fast bacilli (AFB) cases at the time of registration under the tuberculosis control programme. All sputum smear positive cases were subjected to culture and drug-susceptibility testing by 1% proportion method on Lowenstein-Jensen (LJ) medium.

RESULTS: A total of 185 newly diagnosed sputum smear positive for AFB i n pulmonary tuberculosis patients weresubjected to culture and drug sensitivity test. Among 185 isolates, 170 (91.4%) isolates were culture positive. Of these 170 isolates, 169 (99.4%) were M. tuberculosis and one (0.5%) was Mycobacterium other than tuberculosis (MOTT). Out of 99.4% M. tuberculosis positive isolates, 21.3% were resistant to at least one drug. Resistance pattern of 21.3% strains of M. tuberculosis showing resistance to single, double, triple, and quadruple drugs were 5.9%, 10.7%, 2.4% and 2.4% respectively. Multi-drug resistance (MDR) was observed in 4.7% isolates.

CONCLUSION: The present study highlights the high rate of drug resistance pattern among the new sputum smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients and also high MDR tuberculosis. Routine surveillance of drug resistance profile of patients provides useful information for adopting new strategies of effective treatment within National Tuberculosis Control Programmes in order to combat the threat of MDR-TB in the general population.