Rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and associated factors among presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis patients in Mogadishu, Somalia

BACKGROUND: Multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a growing public health problem in developing countries including Somalia. Although, the prevalence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis among new and retreated cases is high, data on GeneXpert- Mycobacterium tuberculosis/rifampicin-resistant assay, which is a surrogate marker for multidrug resistance, is not well explored in Mogadishu. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its associated factors among presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis patients visiting tuberculosis centers in Mogadishu, Somalia. METHODS: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in three tuberculosis treatment centers from March 12 to April 30, 2021. Laboratory professionals collected sputum sample consecutively from presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis participants and performed a GeneXpert assay to determine the rifampicin resistance. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected using structured questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess factors associated with rifampicin resistance using an adjusted odds ratio at a 95% confidence interval. Statistical significance was considered at a p-value of less than 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 370 presumptive tuberculosis suspects were included; of whom 58.4% were females and the mean age of the participants was 44.3 ± 14 years. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected in 63 (17%) (95% confidence interval = 13.2–20.8) suspects. Of these the prevalence of rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis was 35% (95% confidence interval = 30.2–39.8). Anti-tuberculosis treatment history (adjusted odds ratio = 4.1; 95% confidence interval = 1.91–6.75), monthly income less than $100 USD (adjusted odds ratio = 2.2; 95% confidence interval = 1.77–5.98) and being diagnosed with Asthma (adjusted odds ratio = 2.63; 95% confidence interval = 1.3–7.3) were significantly associated with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: A considerable proportion of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis is reported in these study settings. The strong association between multidrug resistance tuberculosis and patients’ retreatment history of tuberculosis, low income, and co-morbidity with asthma highlights the need for more efforts in tuberculosis treatment and monitoring programs to limit the emergence of multi-drug resistant strain in the study areas.