Determination of Rifampicin Resistance Tuberculosis on Gene Xpert among Patients Attending Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa, Bayelsa State Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Aim: Department of Medical Laboratory Science (Medical Microbiology Section), Niger Delta University. Tuberculosis, being an oldest known human disease, is a major cause of mortality. Does gender determine Rifampicin Resistance Mycobacterium tuberculosis among the patients with tuberculosis in Bayelsa State? This work was carried out between February, 2019 and September 2019 to determine the prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its resistance to Rifampicin anti-mycobacterium therapy among patients attending Federal Medical Centre, Yenogoa, Bayelsa State.

Methodology: A total of 250 sputum samples were collected from both HIV and non-HIV patients attending Federal Medical Centre, Mycobacteriology Laboratory (a referral laboratory in Bayelsa state); (age range 21-71 years) and immediately taken to the laboratory for analysis using GeneXpert machine, an automated cartridge based nucleic acid amplification diagnosis and traditional Ziehl-Neelsen test for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Rifampicin resistance gene.

Results: Findings showed that 50(100%) sputum samples (of which 24(48%) were from males and 26(52%) from females) out of the 250 samples examined were positive to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Based on the GeneXpert analysis, the total of 8(16%); {4(8%) females and 4(8%) males}, samples were resistant to Rifampicin. Out of 50(100%) positive samples, the highest percentage prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was recorded within the age range of 21 and 30 years (52%); followed by 31-40 years (44%) and the least was 71 years (04%). The percentage prevalence of Rifampicin resistance Mycobacterium tuberculosis (RMB) was 16.0% while non-resistance was 84.0%; resistance was higher among the study subjects within the age range of between 21 and 30 years (6%) followed by 31-40 years (4%); 51-60 years (4.0%) and the least was 10-20 years and 70 years above(2%). There is no significant difference between the tuberculosis infected male and female resistance to rifampicin at P value= .88, t=14, df=4. However, out of 50 (100%) positive samples, 24 (48%) patients had HIV co-infection with tuberculosis while 26(52%) had tuberculosis only. There was no statistical significant difference between these two groups at P=.29, t=1.2 and df=4.

Conclusion: There is a progressive increase in the frequency of Rifampicin resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (RrMTB) in this research compared to the percentage prevalence (4%) reported by World Health Organization (WHO) in 2018. There is therefore a need to establish more medical diagnostic laboratories for rapid detection of tuberculosis infection in all the eight (8) Local Government Areas of Bayelsa state.