Biomedical Letters

Research article | https://doi.org/10.47262/BL/9.1.20230103

Causes, prevalence, and identification of multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis in patients with different age groups

Sabeera Siddiq 1, Muhammad Imran Sarwer 2, Khawar Ali Shahzad 1*

1 Department of Zoology, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, 63100, Bahawalpur Pakistan

2 Department of Pathology, Quaid-e-Azam Medical College, Bahawalpur, Pakistan

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a granulomatous infectious illness caused by gram-positive, acid-fast bacilli belonging to the Mycobacterium genus. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) causes tuberculosis in humans, which primarily affects the lungs and causes pulmonary tuberculosis. Extra pulmonary tuberculosis can damage the colon, meninges, bones, joints, lymph nodes, skin, and other body parts. The present study was conducted to find the causes, prevalence, and identification of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in patients with different age groups. One hundred sputum samples were collected from patients with different age groups. Identification and confirmation of multidrug resistance tuberculosis were performed by smear microscopy, real-time PCR assay, and bacterium culture, and Out of 100 samples 86 were positive for tuberculosis and 14 were negative. Out of these 86 samples, 52 were males and 34 were females. The age group with the highest percentage of tuberculosis was 40-60 years. There were 47 smokers and 39 non-smokers. Out of 100 samples, only 19 had good living standards, 40 with average hygienic conditions, and 41 with poor hygiene. Through real-time assay it was concluded that 48 samples were Isoniazid resistant and 53 were Rifampicin resistant. According to our findings, poor quality of life, poor housing, overcrowding, population explosion, under nutrition, smoking, alcohol misuse, lack of education, large families, and lack of information about the cause and transmission of tuberculosis are some of the social causes. These elements are interconnected and play a role in tuberculosis occurrence and transmission.