Tuberculosis: Advancements in diagnosis and Drug susceptibility testing

Among the communicable diseases, tuberculosis (TB) still remains one of the major public health issues. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, one-third of the world’s population has been infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).1 95% of infections occur in the under-developed world where diagnostic and treatment facilities are limited or absent .About 9.2 million cases occurred worldwide in 2006 and with 1.7 million deaths.2 It is estimated that around 70 million people will die from tuberculosis within next 20 years if adequate measures are not taken to stop the spread of tuberculosis.3 The risk of developing active disease in immunocompetent individuals is 10% in lifetime while it is 10% per year of life in immune-compromised individuals. 4 The incidence of TB in Pakistan has been estimated to be 181 per 100,000 of population per year according to WHO estimates.5 Rapid emergence of multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR) has complicated the situation to control this entity.6 In Pakistan, 28% MDR strains have been from Northern areas