Distribution and antibiotic susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium species present in the sputum of suspected pulmonary tuberculosis patients
by Open Science Repository Medicine
(January 2014)
Abstract
Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex organisms are responsible for TB, which led human civilization to suffer since antiquity and still remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, even after development of effective chemotherapy and vaccination due to emergence of MDR and XDR strains. Non tuberculous mycobacteria are now considered important pathogens with high number of infections in immunocompromised as well as immunocompetent individuals.
The study was conducted during September 2010 to August 2011 at the tertiary care centre, National TB Centre, Thimi, Bhaktapur in order to classify the mycobacterial isolates obtained from sputum sample of suspected new pulmonary TB patients and to obtain the drug susceptibility profile of the isolates to the primary anti-tubercular drugs Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Streptomycin and Ethambutol.
A total of 200 sputum samples were selected for culture after screening 1500 sputum samples from suspected new pulmonary TB patients according to Bartlett pulmonary specimen culture criteria. Among them 64.50% (n=129) were culture positives, of which 87.60% belonged to M. tuberculosis complex and 12.40% were NTM. Among total Culture positive isolates, 19.38%, 18.60%, 18.60% and 16.28% were resistant to Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Streptomycin and Ethambutol respectively. The mycobacterial infection was found statistically significant and positively associated with family history of TB.
The study revealed that an important proportion of mycobacterial infection is caused by NTM, and there is significant drug resistance also in new mycobacterial isolates, so exact speciation and drug susceptibility testing of the isolates is necessary for the commencement of appropriate treatment to the patients.
Keywords: tuberculosis, non-tubercular mycobacteria.
Full text
Distribution and antibiotic susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium species present in the sputum of suspected pulmonary tuberculosis patients