Abstract
Rapid distinguishing of mycobacterial species and knowledge about their susceptibility is vital for the management of patients with pulmonary disease who are not responding to initial treatment as the mycobacteria have a spectrum of virulence and different susceptibilities to antibiotics. Most biochemical techniques used for species differentiation are laborious and time consuming. Hence molecular techniques are becoming an alternative to existing conventional testing. This study demonstrates the utility of molecular diagnostics for patients with mycobacterial infections who are not responding to initial anti TB therapy.
Highlights
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease accountable for a leading number of deaths every year.[1]
Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) which include Mycobacterium species that are not members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) are ubiquitous environmental organisms mostly found in soil and water.[3,4,5]
The ZN stain confirmed the presence of acid fast bacilli which was observed as slender pink stained rods in the cultures observed (Fig.1) in thiophen-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide (TCH), p-nitrobenzoic acid (PNB) and the control L-J media indicating the presence of mycobacteria belonging to M. tuberculosis (Mtb) and NTM in the sputum sample of the patient who was suffering with the untreatable pulmonary infection
Summary
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease accountable for a leading number of deaths every year.[1]. Preliminary differentiation of NTM from M. tuberculosis (Mtb) can be done using susceptibility testing on separate media incorporated with either p-nitrobenzoic acid (PNB) or thiophen-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide (TCH) as NTM strains are resistant to PNB whereas Mtb are susceptible. Mtb strains are resistant to TCH but NTM are susceptible.[6] As conventional detection methods using biochemical tests consume time, at present, molecular techniques have allowed great progress to be made in the rapid and accurate diagnosis of pulmonary infections caused by mycobacterial spp. This study reports the utility of molecular techniques in diagnosing tuberculous patients with clinical non response to standard treatment
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
