Prevalence of Smear-Positive, Rifampicin-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Related Factors Among Residents with Cough in Northern Ethiopian Refugee Health Facilities

Hailemariam Mezgebe; Teklay Gebrecherkos; Dawit Gebreegziabiher Hagos; Saravanan Muthupandian

doi:10.2147/IDR.S453306

Prevalence of Smear-Positive, Rifampicin-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Related Factors Among Residents with Cough in Northern Ethiopian Refugee Health Facilities

Infect Drug Resist. 2024 Mar 20:17:1135-1145. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S453306. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Hailemariam Mezgebe¹, Teklay Gebrecherkos², Dawit Gebreegziabiher Hagos², Saravanan Muthupandian³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Microbiology, College of Health Sciences, Aksum University, Aksum, Tigray, Ethiopia.
² Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia.
³ AMR and Nanotherapeutics Lab, Department of Pharmacology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 600077, India.

Abstract

Purpose: To ascertain the prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) among refugees suspected of tuberculosis (TB) and related risk factors, including smear-positive and Rifampicin-resistant M.tb.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between January 2020 and May 2020 among 384 refugees in four refugee camps in Northwest Tigray, Ethiopia. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected from refugees with a history of cough for more than two weeks prospectively. Spot-spot sputum samples were collected and transported in an ice box to the Shire Suhul Hospital Microbiology laboratory; and then examined using a Fluorescent Microscope. All smear-positive samples were further processed by GeneXpert to detect Rifampicin-resistant MTB. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: The overall prevalence of smear-positive PTB infection was 5.5% (21/384), but No TB case was resistant to Rifampicin detected by GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay. About 70% of the smear-positive pulmonary TB identified were females. Five (23.8%) of the smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis cases were co-infected by HIV. Sharing of drink and food materials (AOR = 4.36, 95% CI = 1.19-15.89), active TB contact (AOR 7.24, 95% CI = 1.62-32.125), BMI (AOR = 5.23, 95% CI = 1.28-21.29), opening window practice (AOR = 4.32, 95% CI = 1.02-18.30) and HIV status (AOR = 9.36, 95% CI = 1.64-53.35) were statistically significant predisposing factors.

Conclusion: The prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary TB among northwest Tigray refugee camps was still high. The prevalence of TB/HIV co-infection was also high. Minimizing close contact with active TB cases, reducing malnutrition, rapid TB/HIV screening, and establishing a ventilation system can reduce the transmission of TB among refugees.

Keywords: HIV; M. tuberculosis; Rifampicin resistant; refugees; risk factors.

Grants and funding

This study was funded by Mekelle University. Aksum University also participated in providing the reagents required to perform the respective laboratory investigations. The funders had no role in study design, data collection, and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.