Molecular Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Indigenous Population of Tharparkar, Sindh, Pakistan. Using GeneXpert Assay: Age and Gender Stratified Analysis

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) the causative agent of Tuberculosis (TB), spreads through air from infected persons via coughing, sneezing etc. It affects various body organs such as kidneys, brain, spine but in majority of cases it affects lungs and causes pulmonary TB. The distribution of the Pulmonary tuberculosis burden across Pakistan is diverse, with incidence rates ranging from 110 cases per 100,000 to 462 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Given that Tharparkar is a rural and underdeveloped area, the TB burden is underreported. The current paper evaluates the burden of TB cases in the indigenous population of Tharparkar region of Province Sindh with age and gender wise stratified analysis. Methods: A total of 1,099 sputum samples from clinically and radiologically suspected TB patients were tested for MTB and rifampicin resistance using the GeneXpert/RIF assay. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 20, applying chi-square tests and odds ratios (95% CI) to assess differences in MTB positivity across age groups and genders. Results: Of the 1,099 samples, 198 (18%) were MTB positive. Notably, no case of MDR-TB was detected. MTB prevalence was slightly higher in males (n=133, 18.9%, median age: 40) than in females (n=65, 16.4%, median age: 35). The highest positivity (n=11, 25.6%) was observed in the 71–80 age group. Gender-specific trends showed peak prevalence in males aged 71–80 (n=9, 33%) and in females aged 11–20 (n=10, 27%, mean age: 18.08 years). Differences in prevalence between genders exceeded 60% in the 41–50 and 71–80 age groups, though not statistically significant (p-values = 0.083 and 0.130). Conclusion: Tharparkar data indicates a significantly lower prevalence, approximately 61.5% lesser, than in KPK and FATA, earlier onset in females and absence of MDR-TB, indicating region’s unique environmental or sociocultural factors need further investigation. DOI: https://doi.org/10.59564/amrj/03.04/010