Drug Susceptibility Pattern from Tuberculosis Patients in Region of Macedonia Greece

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world’s deadliest diseases. Increasing rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Eastern Europe, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa now threaten to undermine the gains made by worldwide tuberculosis control efforts. The region of Macedonia in North Greece is an entrance gate of thousands of immigrants, moving mainly from East European countries with high tuberculosis prevalence to Greece and the whole Europe. Our study determines the drug susceptibility pattern of new TB cases in the region of Macedonia, Greece. A total of 63 M. tuberculosis strains were isolated by cultivation between January 2012 and December 2014 in Macedonia, North Greece. After microscopic examination with Ziehl-Neelsen staining, clinical samples were simultaneously tested by two methods: conventional culture method on the Löwenstein-Jensen (L-J) slants for 8 weeks (at 370°C) and molecular method Genotype MTBDR plus (Hain-Lifescience). According to the study results, 2 out of 63 strains (3.2%) were resistant to both isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RMP). Additionally, 3 strains (4.8%) were INH mono-resistant. Statistical analysis demonstrated that there was no statistically significant difference in presence of resistance according to patients’ gender or origin (Greeks or immigrants). It is clear that the implementation of an efficient nationwide system for the surveillance, diagnosis and treatment of TB is essential. The best strategy in order to control, and prevent TB includes, first of, all a rapid diagnosis and initiation of treatment, something which is the most important for public health.