Let's Join Hands Together For The Mission: End TB by 2025!

"Tuberculosis (TB) is the highly contagious and leading cause of global morbidity by infectious disease. TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) bacteria. World TB Day is commemorated on March 24th every year to raise awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB and to step up efforts for ending the global TB epidemic. According to the WHO report, 10.6 million TB cases, and 1.6 million deaths due to TB were recorded in the year 2021, globally. In India, among 2.1 million TB cases 5,05,000 lost their life to TB in 2021. Despite this, TB is considered curable with an early and accurate diagnosis followed by proper treatment strategies. The Government of India has taken the control of all aspects of TB management through the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP), emphasizing the precise diagnosis of TB. "

TB is classified as pulmonary (affecting lungs) and extra pulmonary TB (affecting sites other than the lungs like joints, Genitourinary tract, brain, etc.), as per the site of infection. The signs and symptoms of active pulmonary disease are fever, cough for more than three weeks, extreme tiredness, weight loss, and other respiratory symptoms. Symptoms of extrapulmonary TB depend on the site of infections. Infection by MTB does not always lead to active TB disease. In such cases, bacteria can remain dormant in the body for prolonged periods, which is called latent TB. Upon immunosuppression, (HIV infections, diabetes), latent TB can rapidly progress to the active stage resulting in the disease being transmissible and dangerous. Clinical signs and symptoms of other mycobacterial infections (NTM) are similar to active TB disease. The diagnosis and treatment protocols for such infections are different than TB, which needs precise monitoring.

TB due to bacterial strains resistant to either rifampicin or isoniazid (the most potent drugs for TB treatment) is called multi drug-resistant (MDR) TB. MDR-TB is practically incurable by standard first-line treatment of these drugs. Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB refers to MDR-TB strains that are resistant to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs. Apart from this, the detection of TB from paucibacillary samples is an inevitable challenge. Hence, the earliest possible and accurate identification of the mycobacteria, especially MTBC and drug-resistant strains is crucial for effective TB management.

The existing diagnostic methods for tuberculosis mainly rely on the conventional yet effective method: culture and drug susceptibility testing. Though it is the gold standard, it requires 42 days for identification due to slow growing nature of bacteria. In such cases, molecular assays like nucleic acid amplification tests, and line probe assays help clinicians with the preliminary identification of the disease, till awaiting the culture report. The existing molecular platforms like LPA, Xpert MTB/RIF, BD MAX - MDR test, and Xpert XDR, etc. are capable of tracing MTBC and drug-resistant with similar efficiency. The combinatorial approach for all these platforms surely leads to a rapid and accurate diagnosis. Performing such an extensive range of tests in a single infrastructure with expert handling of this dangerous pathogen is critical.

"InfeXn Laboratories Pvt. Ltd, the leading infectious disease testing laboratory, is equipped with almost all advanced technologies, suitable infrastructure, the highest level of expertise to carry out TB testing, a comprehensive TB test menu, and a quality- report. With this, we are trying our level best to overcome the challenges of TB diagnosis. With complete automation from the culture identification by MALDI to tracing latent TB by advanced TB IGRAs, we are consistent to be the ONE-STOP Solution for COMPLETE TB diagnosis."

Together We can eliminate TB, Let’s fight against this global burden!