A Retrospective Analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a Tertiary Healthcare Facility in Jos, North Central Nigeria

Background: Tuberculosis remains a major health problem in developing countries. The GeneXpert Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance (MTB/RIF) assay is a new test in many communities in Nigeria that is revolutionizing Mycobacterium tuberculosis control by contributing to the rapid diagnosis of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance.

Aim: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance at North-Central Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory (NCTBRL) in Jos, North-Central Nigeria.

Study Design: Retrospective examination of hospital records.

Place and Duration of Study: North-Central Tuberculosis Research Laboratory (NCTBRL) Jos, North-Central Nigeria between January and December 2019.

Methodology: This was a retrospective study of archival records of 2719 patients screened for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance using GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay. The samples comprised of sputum, ascitic fluid, gastric lavage, pleural fluid, abscesses, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, pericardial fluid and synovial fluid, from patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) or Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB). The results obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 26.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) statistical software.

Results: Overall, 212(7.8%) of the total samples received were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) accounting for the majority of the cases. Male patients accounted for 59.9% of the cases compared to 40.1% in females. The infection was more among the age group 15-47 years and less common among the 0-14 age group. Rifampicin resistance MTB was detected in 2.3% of the cases, while 90.6% and 7.1% were sensitive and indeterminate to rifampicin respectively.

Conclusion: The prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) was 7.8% with rifampicin-resistant of 2.3%. Appropriate diagnosis, treatment, and effective surveillance of MTB infections could reduce the incidences of rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis among the study population.