Slide drug susceptibility test for the detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Bangladesh

The present study attempted to comparatively assess and establish a suitable detection method of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) from previously treated TB cases in Bangladesh. Of 130 Zeihl–Neelsen smear-positive fresh sputum specimens, 112 samples were found to contain viable bacilli as visualized under the light-emitting diode fluorescence microscope after fluorescein di-acetate staining, and 109 positive cases were detected through Löwenstein–Jensen culture. The samples were further tested to survey the drug resistance both by slide drug susceptibility test (DST) and by conventional DST: 94 MDR-TB cases were detected within 10 days through the slide DST, whereas 82 cases were observed through the conventional DST, requiring about 3 months. Because the rapidity, sensitivity and accuracy of the slide DST method were found to be comparatively satisfactory when compared to the conventional DST method; we recommend the slide DST method as the standard diagnostic tool in perspective of Bangladesh for the detection of MDR-TB.