Pattern of Drug Resistance Among Patients Presenting with Relapse of Pulmonary Tuberculosis

Abstract

Objective: To assess the patterns of drug resistance (DR) among patients previously treated for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Medicine, Pak-Emirates Military Hospital, Rawalpindi Pakistan, from Jul 2020 to Mar 2021. Methodology: Patients with previously treated pulmonary TB were included, based on their clinical history and characteristic chest X-ray findings. Patients were evaluated through an examination of sputum and/or bronchoalveolar washings for acidfast bacilli (AFB), Mycobacterium TB-GeneXpert/RIF (Rifampicin) assay, and mycobacterial culture with drug susceptibility testing (DST). Patients with resistance to any anti-TB drug were classified as cases of DR-TB, and a pattern of drug resistance was documented. Results: One hundred twenty patients were identified as having been previously treated for TB. DST demonstrated DR-TB among 38(31.7%) cases, while isoniazid (INH) resistance was the most commonly reported problem in 29(24.2%) cases. Up to 26(21.6%) relapsing cases were resistant to Rifampicin (RFM). Moreover, 15(12.5%) instances of resistance against second-line anti-TB drugs (fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides) were documented. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) was the most prevalent resistance pattern in 20(16.7%) cases, followed by mono-drug-resistant TB in 7(5.8%) and extensively resistant TB (XDR-TB) in 2(1.6%) cases. No definitive resistance pattern was evident among 9(7.5%) cases. Conclusion: MDR-TB constitutes a major barrier in the line of TB eradication in Pakistan. Strict compliance with anti-TB protocols, along with a universal application of DST, can minimize the overall prevalence of relapsing cases of TB

Keywords

• Antitubercular Agents
• Drug Resistance
• Drug Susceptibility Testing
• Extensively Drug-resistant Tuberculosis
• Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis