Prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Suspected Tuberculosis Patients through ZN Staining and Gene Expert MTB/RIF: A Cross Sectional Study

Waris Ali, Momena Habib, Kiran Ghaffor, Furqan Ali, Samra Rasheed, Sachal Sarmast, Farah Munir

Abstract

A cross sectional study was conducted from January to May 2023 to determine the prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis among tuberculosis suspected patients using ZiehlNeelsen staining and GeneXpert. Demographic information was also collected on excel sheet and statistical analysis was done on SPSS version 20.0 with confidence interval (IC) 95% and p value <0.05.A total of 200 patients were included in the study. A total of 38.1% (77/200) were females and 68.1% (123/200) were males. The mean age (±SD) was 44.3±20.3. The results indicate that prevalence of MTB was 52% (n=104/200) by Zn staining/smear microscopy and 58.5% (n=117/200) by GeneXpert. Zn staining showed 51.9 %(n=40/77) prevalence in females and 52 %( n=64/123) prevalence in males. GeneXpert results showed 58.4% (n=45/77) prevalence in females and 58.5% (n=72/123) in males. Age wise distribution showed that age group of 51 to 60 years had higher prevalence of MTB 66.7% (n=20/30) through Zn staining and 63.3% (n=19/30) by MTB/RIF GeneXpert. This study certifies the high prevalence of M. tuberculosis in District Okara. There is a dire need for extensive study to determine the burden of disease in the district along with effective preventive strategies to control the disease