Prevalence of multidrug resistance among retreatment pulmonary tuberculosis cases in a tertiary care hospital, Hyderabad, India

BACKGROUND: India is one of the high tuberculosis (TB) burden countries in the world. India ranks second in harboring multi drug resistant (MDR)-TB cases. About 50,000 of MDR cases are recorded in retreatment pulmonary TB cases. This study was conducted in a tertiary care facility (Government General and Chest Hospital) in Hyderabad, India. OBJECTIVES: Toassess: Proportion of the TB patients having MDR-TB at the initiation of retreatment regimen; the prevalence of isoniazid (INH) resistance in this geographical area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An analytical, observational, prospective cohort study of patients attending the out-patient department from December 2010 to March 2011. RESULTS: Sputum samples from 100 patients were subjected to acid fast bacilli (AFB) culture and drug sensitivity testing. Of these, 28 (28%) were MDR-TB, 42 (42%) were non-MDR-TB and 39% being INH resistance. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, one third of the retreatment pulmonary TB cases attending a tertiary care institute for TB will be MDR-TB at the initiation of treatment and there is a need to include ethambutol in the continuation phase of new TB case treatment in view of high INH resistance.