Comparative study on conventional diagnostic methods with GeneXpert and TrueNat Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) assay of tuberculosis disease

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily affecting the lungs. While pulmonary TB (PTB) is the most prevalent form, comprising the majority of cases, extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) presents unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. TB spreads through the air when individuals with lung TB cough, sneeze, or spit. Aim: We aim to conduct a comprehensive comparative analysis of molecular diagnostic methods versus conventional techniques for detecting PTB. Results: Among 1100 samples analyzed, 384 cases (34.90%) of TB were identified, encompassing both pulmonary and extrapulmonary forms. The highest number of samples was collected from individuals aged 21-40, 41-60, and 61-80 years. In particular, 70 out of 114 pus samples (61.40%) tested positive for EPTB. In contrast, only 5 out of 79 pleural fluid samples (6.33%) and 16 out of 32 lymph node samples (50%) tested positive for EPTB. Conclusion: These findings highlight the critical need for ongoing research and the development of accurate, sensitive, and accessible diagnostic methods to combat TB effectively. PTB was observed to be more prevalent, affecting a larger proportion of individuals, while EPTB accounted for a smaller, though significant, number of cases. Keywords: Extra pulmonary TB, molecular diagnostic methods, prevalence, pulmonary TB, tuberculosis detection