IMPORTANCE OF CHANGING TRENDS IN DIAGNOSTIC YIELD OF TUBERCULOSIS- A STUDY DONE UNDER NATIONAL TUBERCULOSIS ELIMINATION PROGRAMME

Introduction: In underdeveloped countries, Tuberculosis (TB) is a major source of morbidity & mortality. For clinical microbiologists, identifying and detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) constitutes as an important hurdle. Thus, to eliminate the disease early and lower morbidity, early diagnosis of TB and drug resistance is crucial. When there is insufcient, inadequate sputum and paucity of bacilli, diagnosing TB can be difcult. Our study aimed to compare Ziehl-Neelsen's (ZN) stain, Fluorescent stain, and CBNAAT (Cartridge based nucleic acid amplication assay) in accordance with National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP) guidelines. Methods: A total of 500 Respiratory samples of clinically suspected TB cases were tested using ZN stain, Fluorescent stain & CBNAAT. This prospective Crosssectional study was conducted in Department of Microbiology at tertiary care hospital, Nagpur over a period of 6 months. The results were recorded and analysed. Results: In our study, out of 500 cases, 372 were males and 128 were females with TB positivity rate more in rural area than in urban area. Overall, 30 (6%) were found positive on ZN staining, 50 (10%) were positive on Fluorescent staining & CBNAAT had positivity rate of 80 (16%). The sensitivity of CBNAAT is more Conclusion: than Microscopic staining methods. While sensitivity of Fluorescent staining (62.5%) is more as compared to ZN staining (37.5%). For smear-negative cases, the CBNAAT assay is an effective & reliable method. When diagnosing TB, this technique is highly appealing due to its simplicity, sensitivity, speed, and automation. It also offers the benet of detecting patients that are Multidrug resistant (MDR).