TB Is Not To Be!

TB Is Not To Be!

Ramulu is a proud descendant of the Dhobi clan. He had his own tin stall where he ironed clothes and made an honest living. When he developed a chronic cough, all thought it was a result of the coal he used to heat the clothes-iron. At a Tuberculosis (TB) awareness camp in his son’s school, a health worker suggested a test. Thanks to an early diagnosis and treatment, Ramulu could recover completely and regain his health. For many, Ramulu’s happily-ever story is a lucky fluke — participation in an awareness camp prevented him from becoming another statistic of TB.

Burden of TB

India, which is home to over 2.5 million of the prevalent 9 million cases across the globe, has the highest burden of TB. It is purported that over 40% of the population has a latent strain of TB. Despite vaccinations given at birth and dedicated efforts by healthcare workers and NGOs, TB — a disease that can trace its origins to the beginning of human civilisations — still continues to be a cause of concern.

Diagnostic Woes

Poverty, pollution, and several other factors have been blamed for this high prevalence. What makes disease control difficult is the complexity of different types of testing. Traditional methods such as the tuberculin skin test, culture, and sputum smear microscopy all have limitations in terms of false-positive results, false-negative results, sensitivity, specificity, and turnaround time. The gold-standard IS6110-RFLP, with its high discriminative power and reproducibility, requires large amounts of DNA and consumes more time.

The Need of the Hour

What India needs is an accurate and effective TB detection and typing test with excellent sensitivity, specificity, and turnaround time — priced reasonably to help diagnostic labs achieve economies of scale. More awareness programmes that reach the remotest tribes and most overcrowded cities. A programme that changes mindset: there should be no shame in going for a diagnostic test.

TB Is Not To Be, with MapmyGenome

MapmyGenome offers DNA-based solutions to diagnostic labs looking for innovative and accurate tests. Our Spoligo TB™ kit, a CE-certified kit, is an effective PCR-based method to simultaneously detect and categorise Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Spoligo TB utilises the technology of DNA polymorphism present at the Direct Repeat (DR) region, which is unique to Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex bacteria.

In addition to extremely high sensitivity, specificity, and throughput, factors such as cost-effectiveness and relatively low turnaround time make it a preferred method of choice for small and big diagnostic labs. A simple protocol with inexpensive equipment — all it takes is an incubator, PCR machine, and mini-blotter — add to its attractiveness.