An Overview of Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Smear Negative Cases and their Analysis

Life Sciences-Clinical Biology for Effective Treatment

Abstract

Mycobacterium  tuberculosis  (MTB), a bacterium  which causes the tuberculosis  disease, is one of the most trounce disease in the country. It mainly affects the lungs and other parts of the body. Currently smear-positive cases are further confirmed through chest radiography  for PTB. These cases are further subjected  for short course chemotherapy  (SCC), followed by first line primary drugs, a scheme undertaken  by National Tuberculosis  Programme  to overcome  PTB infection. However, the identification  of infection through smear-negative results are challenging as the cases may become positive over the time and progresses to cause the Extra Pulmonary Tuberculosis (EPTB). Such infections are asymptomatic and referred to as latent infection, where, MTBremains stable for many years at a specific  site and later  activates.    Worldwide  about  10-25%  of latent  infections  progress  to an active  disease  and if undiagnosed,  the mortality rate may reach up to 50%. Twenty five percent of EPTB infection differs from organ to organ of the body. However, in such cases, diagnosis  may be elusive  and is usually delayed.  The proper identification  of infection  that strongly  focuses  on the infection  of either i.e., TB or EPTB is the need of the hour. The diagnosis of EPTB will be elusive, necessitating a high index of suspicion over TB or EPTB. However, smear-negative cases may be positive for EPTB infection, where the suspects are to be further subjected for molecular methods of EPTB detection and confirmation.