Role of Mycobacterial Culture and Drug Sensitivity Testing Laboratory under National Tuberculosis Elimination Program for the Abolition of Tuberculosis in India by 2025

Abstract

India has made a bold promise to eradicate Tuberculosis (TB) by 2025 five years ahead of the global target. Although, one-fourth of the global burden with highest new cases of TB is shown by the country. So yet, no comprehensive analysis has been published on India’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) (2017-2025). The current review details the advanced diagnostic methods like Fluorescence Microscopy (FM), culture, nucleic acid amplification test (Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT) and True Nucleic Acid amplification Test (TrueNAT)) and line probe assay as well as the role and network of Mycobacterial culture and Drug Sensitivity Testing (C and DST) laboratories in national scaling-up of evidence-based policies and facilities, which is a critical component in India's fight against TB. The material of this study was mostly obtained from policy and program making documents of World Health Organisation (WHO) and annual TB reports of India. India’s TB annual report 2021 says that only half of the patients were successfully treated in the period of conventional longer care regimens. The interventions to achieve the factors related patient’s care have been implemented through universal drug sensitivity testing through C and DST laboratories, which has driven therapy with a shorter regimen, newer medications, and social protection. In one hand, the comprehensive monitoring scheme through C and DST laboratories for TB including all possible drug-resistance cases and other hand, patient’s systemic treatment through shorter, more reliable, and safer first- or second-line drug regimens are all necessary milestones to achieve the goal of our government for abolition of TB in India by 2025.