Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin sensitive -resistant patients diagnosed by the GeneXpert MTB/RIF test in Al-Diwaniyah province

Abstract

To date, tuberculosis (TB) is still a disease of big concern to humanity because it leads to losses in various life aspects such as people lives and economics. Because the long time and hard efforts needed to diagnose the disease, we have conducted this study to better detect the disease in patients in Al-Diwaniyah province, Iraq. Moreover, we have also launched this research to identify rifampicin-sensitive and -resistant patients. To fulfill our aims, we have recruited GeneXpert system for performing the Xpert MTB/RIF test that identifies specific DNAsequences of Mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB) and rifampicin-resistant patients. For this, 179 patients who visited The Chest and Respiratory Clinic Diseases, Diwaniyah, Iraq, were referred to submit sputum specimens to the GeneXpert. After the test had been run, 157 (87.7%) samples were negative, and 22 (12.3%) were positive to the bacterium. Out of 22 patients, 17 (77%) patients were sensitive, and 5 (23%) patients were resistant to the rifampicin. Our resultsindicate that the disease is still affecting the life of people in the province but has low percentage of rifampicin resistance in those patients. This keeps encouraging the continuous use of this drug against this bacterium. Moreover, the results attract the health facilities to use GeneXpert as reliable tool to diagnose MTBand whether it is resistant or sensitive to rifampicin.