Low levels of anti TB drug resistance in Rayagada district of Odisha, India

A study was conducted at Rayagada district of Odisha, India, among smear-positive tuberculosis [TB] patients to determine the resistance pattern to first-line drugs. Sputum samples were collected from 405 new and 37 previously treated patients and were tested at Regional Medical Research Centre, Bhubaneswar. Resistance to any anti-tubercular drug was observed to be 5.2% among new cases and 16.1% among previously treated patients, while multidrug-resistant tuberculosis [MDR-TB] was found to be 0% in new and 8.1% in previously treated cases. Such a low level of resistance may be due to the limited use of TB drugs outside the ongoing program.