Epidemiologic pattern of tuberculosis infection in Menoufia Governorate, Egypt, and diagnostic accuracy of GeneXpert MTB/RIF resistance technique

Background Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem especially in developing countries. Stop TB strategy is one of the intended goals of sustainable development goals 2015–2030 in Egypt.Objective To declare the incidence and epidemiologic pattern of TB cases in the last 2 years and assess the validity of GeneXpert (GX) Mycobacterium tuberculosis/RIF resistance technique for rapid diagnosis of TB and rifampicin resistance.Patients and methods A prospective follow-up study was conducted to collect data from TB records from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2018. In all, 452 clinically suspected TB cases underwent GX Mycobacterium tuberculosis/RIF resistance and standard culture on Löwenstein–Jensen medium for diagnosis of TB.Results By examining the 452 clinically suspected cases of TB, the diagnosis was confirmed in 123 (27.2%) cases with an incidence of 2.63/100 000 populations. The cases were 52% in the middle-age group (30–60 years), 78.9% were men. GX technique showed a sensitivity of 91.1% and specificity of 100% compared with Löwenstein–Jensen culture as a gold standard for diagnosis and showed rifampicin resistance in 12% of cases.Conclusion This incidence of TB in Menoufia Governorate is obviously lesser than the national figure which need more extended studies to declare if it is actual decline or just underreporting of cases. GX technique has a benefit of rapid testing and showed very good sensitivity that support its value for deciding early treatment beginning with its positive impact on disease transmissibility.