Drug Resistance and Mutation Patterns Among Tuberculosis Patients in National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Training Centre Zaria

Tuberculosis (TB) has afflicted humans for millennia and continues to pose a significant threat to public health worldwide. The World Health Organization classified TB as one of the top 10 causes of death globally, with approximately 10 million new cases and 1.4 million TB associated deaths in 2019 alone. Tuberculosis has high prevalence rates in certain regions, including Nigeria. Traditional diagnostic methods for TB and drug resistance diagnosis have limitations in accuracy and speed, highlighting the need for continuous studies on advanced molecular techniques. The study assessed the prevalence of tuberculosis and drug resistance among patients attending the National Tuberculosis and Leprosy Training Centre (NTBLTC), Saye Zaria using molecular techniques, with the aim of contributing to the improvement of diagnosis, treatment, and control strategies for tuberculosis. The cross-sectional study involved 342 suspected TB patients. Samples collected were analysed by microscopy, GeneXpert MTB/RIF and Line probe Assays. The results of this study showed an overall prevalence rate of 39.5% (p<0.05) of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis determined from GeneXPert MTB/RIF positive confirmed cases. further assay using Line Probe Assay (LPA) revealed an MDR-TB prevalence rate of 18(5.3%). Poly-resistance was also detected in 2 (0.58%). However, no Pre-Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (Pre-XDR-TB) and Extensively Drug Resistant-Tuberculosis (XDR-TB) were found. The overall results showed a slight but comparable rise in the prevalence of MTB against reviewed studies while the MDR-TB prevalence was lower. The study underscores the need for early diagnosis and treatment of TB to stall the occurrence of MDR-TB and other forms of severe TB infections.