Abstract:
Background: The high rates of recurrent tuberculosis and HIV in Kenya raised the assumption that anti
tuberculosis drug resistance may be an increasing problem.
Objective: To determine whether HIV co infection and TB recurrence are associated with anti TB drug
resistance. Methods: Cross sectional study in which sputa from 872 TB suspects underwent ZN smear
microscopy and culture. Growth was identified using Hain molecular identification kits. Screening for HIV
infection was done using Uni GoldTM rapid test and the positives confirmed with enzyme linked immunosorbent
assay.
Results: A total of 186
M. tuberculosis complex and 15 non tuberculous mycobacteria isolates were obtained.
The tuberculosis recurrence and TB HIV co infection rates amounted to 44.8% and 41.8%, respectively. All the
186
M. tuberculosis isolates were susceptible to streptomycin and ethambutol. Only 12 (6.5%) of the isolates
were mono drug resistant, nine to isoniazid and three to rifampicin. Only 3/27 isoniazid resistant isolates were
from recurrent TB cases.
Conclusion and recommendation: No MDR strains of
M. tuberculosis were observed in the current study.
However, the study suggests an association between HIV co infection and anti TB mono drug resistance. High
TB recurrence observed in the current study was not associated with anti TB drug resistance. What needs to be
examined is the cause of this high TB recurrence rate in Western Kenya
