Truenat- rapid diagnosis of mycobacterium tuberculosisand rifampicin resistance in pulmonary samples in tertiary care and teaching hospital, doda, j&k

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused predominantly the bacillus Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It typically affects the lungs (Pulmonary TB) but can affect other sites as well (extrapulmonary TB). Tuberculosis (TB) is the second largest killer worldwide, after HIV and is the leading cause of death in HIV patients. Tuberculosis is major public health problem and second largest cause of death among infections disease. Pulmonary TB spreads through air and is highly contagious. Over 80% of TB infections are pulmonary and if left untreated, pulmonary TB patient can infect up to 10-15 other people through close contact over the course of a year. Molecular technique using Real time PCR technology has gained momentum for rapid diagnosis and detection of drugresistance. This was a prospective study done during the period from July 2020 to December 2020 to study the prevalence of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Rifampicin Resistance in Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir by using Truenat chip based micro PCR system and to understand the demographics of the cases attending the tertiary care hospital. All the presumptive TB cases with chest symptoms attending Govt. Medical Hospital, Doda were included in the study. The procedure included three steps: first- sputum sample were subjected to routine Ziehl- Neelsen staining and examined under microscope carefully. Then all sputum samples were further processed by Truenat, a chip based nucleic acid amplification test (Molbiodiagnostics pvt. Itd,) that includes two steps: first sputum samples were processed for separation of DNA by using True prep device. Second –Presence of MTB was detected by TruelabTMReal Time micro PCR Analyser. All the MTB positive samples were tested for presence of Rifampicin resistance by using another specialized chip. Atotal of 727 sputum samples were processed, out of which 47(6.16%) were positive for MTB. Rifampicin resistance was detected in 4 (8.51%). Positivity was more in males 65.95% as compared to females 34.42%. Truenat is a simple method and laboratory technician with minimal training can perform the procedure.