ROLE OF GENE EXPERT/MTB TEST IN CHILDHOOD TUBERCULOSIS

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the role of Gene Expert/MTB test in diagnosing childhood tuberculosis and resistance to Rifampicin. METHODS AND PATIENTS: It was a cross sectional observational study conducted at the Department of Pediatrics, Madina Teaching Hospital, Faisalabad, during a period of 9 months i.e., July 2016 to March2017. A total number of 65 patients suspected of having pulmonary or extra pulmonary tuberculosis on the basis of history and examination, were included in the study. They were evaluated by routine lab investigations for diagnosis of tuberculosis (CBC, ESR,Mantoux test, Xray chest, FNAC lymph nodes etc) as well as by gene expert MTB/RIF test performed on sample taken from the area of involvement. The findings were recorded on a predesigned proforma. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 23. P value