STUDY OF PREVALENCE OF TUBERCULOSIS AND RIFAMPICIN RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS AMONG THE SAMPLE RECEIVED AT CB-NAAT CENTER IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL ANMMCH, GAYA

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading health problem not only in India but all over the world. India is the country with highest TB burden accounting for one-fourth (25%) of global TB cases. Diagnosis of tuberculosis (Pulmonary and Extra Pulmonary TB) still remains a challenge. By using the traditional method for diagnosing TB like tuberculin test, chest radiography and/or sputum microscopy, the result was not so convincing. In sputum microscopy, the yield of identifying TB bacilli is very low especially in paediatric TB due to the paucibacillary nature. Thus, diagnosis of TB especially in immunocompromised patients, sputum-smear negative or paediatric cases is more problematic and challenging. By WHO in December 2010, Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Cepheid, Sunnyvale CA, USA) was recommended, based on real-time nucleic acid amplification technology and automated. Xpert MTB/RIF assay done with barcoded cartridge, so this technique is also called cartridge based nucleic acid amplification test (CB-NAAT). This study assessed the applicability of (Gene Xpert) in early diagnosis of TB, and early identification of MDR-TB. GeneXpert is one of the recent technological instruments used to diagnose tuberculosis in a short span of time.