PREVALENCE OF INITIAL-DRUG RESISTANCE IN TUBERCULOSIS PATIENTS ATTENDING A CHEST HOSPITAL

Sputum samples from pulmonary tuberculosis patients attending a hospit al for chest diseases and tuberculosis at Jaipur, India were directly subjected to sensitivity tests to detect drug resistance to streptomyc in (S), isoniazid (I), rifampicin (R) and ethambutol (Emb) by slide cu lture technique. Drug resistance was observed to one or more drug in 1 9.9 per cent of the patients. I resistant organisms were present in 10 .1 per cent of patients, S resistance in 7.6 per cent, R resistance in 3.0 per cent and Emb resistance in 2.6 per cent. Resistence was limit ed to a single drug in 16.7 per cent patients. Drug resistance was unr elated to age and sex of the patients.