Diagnosis of Multidrug/Rifampicin Resistant Tuberculosis current tools and challenges

Multidrug/Rifampicin resistant tuberculosis is a serious global public health problem that threatens the significant progress made in tuberculosis care and prevention in recent decades. An estimated half a million new cases and 240,000 deaths occur worldwide every year presenting a formidable public health challenge, particularly in low-and middle- income countries. The inability to diagnose tuberculosis and associated drug resistance in these countries may lead to increased morbidity and mortality in patients as well as the spread of resistant strains of tuberculosis. Hence, accurate and definitive diagnosis of the disease is essential for patient management and global control of the disease. This can only be accomplished by isolating the bacteria by culture, identifying it as belonging to the MTB complex, and conducting drug susceptibility testing using solid and liquid media or by performing one of the molecular assays to detect mutations associated with drug resistance. Therefore, the purpose of this book which is recommended for everyone involved in activities aimed at laboratory strengthening and the diagnosis of drug resistant tuberculosis such as clinicians, laboratory managers, laboratory scientists, technical advisors, researchers, students and health care policy makers is to describe the World Health Organization-recommended diagnostic options currently available for multidrug/rifampicin resistant tuberculosis and highlight key challenges associated with their implementation in low-and middle-income countries.