Eshwarappa Pakeerappa1, Raghavendra Bhat2, Kumar Natarajan3
BACKGROUND
The aim of the study is to identify locoregional trends in the anti-TB drug resistance and to identify the incidence of MDR-TB in Category I and II treated TB patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
60 patients drawn from the TB Clinic of Coimbatore Medical College Hospital were included in this study. Sputum samples were cultured on Lowenstein-Jensen medium and tested for resistance to streptomycin, rifampicin, isoniazid and ethambutol. Results were computed and presented.
RESULTS
Patients who had failed category I regimen had far fewer drug-resistant bacteria than those who failed category II regimen. Standalone values of resistance to anti-TB drugs were comparatively higher than past studies of similar nature. Streptomycin experienced maximum resistance (33.3% of cases) and ethambutol (16.7% of cases) the least. The frequency of MDR-TB was 25%.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings of present study reveal an increasing frequency of overall anti-TB drug resistance and also of MDR-TB in study subjects. Further larger regional studies are needed to establish emerging trends of resistance.
