KARACHI, Sept 24: Resistance to anti-TB drugs is developing very fast due to use of standard combination therapy without doing any culture sensitivity of anti-TB drugs; therefore, making tuberculosis one of the growing diseases in Pakistan.

These views were expressed by chest physicians and microbiologists at a workshop on ‘Automated Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Culture’, organized jointly by the Infectious Diseases Society of Pakistan (IDSP) and Becton Dickinson Pakistan at a local hotel on Saturday.

They said that as per the WHO’s data, 2.5 million new patients were emerging in Pakistan every year. The WHO has recommended the DOTS-plus programme as the best solution, which requires an early diagnosis and culture sensitivity of anti-TB drugs.

Speakers included Dr Salman Siddiqi, researcher and inventor in the area of microbiology, Dr Altaf Ahmed of the IDSP, Dr Mohammad Hussain of Liaquat National Hospital, Dr Naseem Sabir of Ziauddin Medical University Hospital, Dr Nadeem Rizvi of the JPMC and Dr Syed Faisal Mahmood of the SIUT.

Dr Salman Siddiqi developed the first automatic BACTEC-460 TB System, a first broth-based rapid system for growth and susceptibility testing of mycobacteria. Besides, he also developed a number of other tests and systems.

He said the diagnosis of TB was a tough job and required a long time, adding that TB bacteria could nowadays be detected within 12 to 14 days.

The new method, he said, was being used almost in all developed nations, but still out of reach of developing countries due to its cost factor.

The new system was functioning at the Aga Khan University Hospital and Shifa International Hospital in Pakistan, he said.

Other speakers emphasized on the need of having mycobacterium culture and anti-TB drugs sensitivity in an efficient and reliable system to avoid the MDR to anti-TB drugs.

The workshop was followed by a question-and-answer session. —PPI