University Publications

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s deadliest communicable diseases. The infection by Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) especially multidrug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis (MDR-PTB) in Sudan is increasing. The susceptibility of patients to infection and certain pathologies is associated to some host factor: age, gender, previous TB infection and haptoglobin (Hp) phenotype. The objectives of this study were to determine the association of these factors to PTB and MDR-PTB and to determine if the susceptibility to PTB and MDR-TB is related to specific Hp phenotype. In a case-control study 300 tuberculosis patients and 50 non-tuberculosis participants as healthy control were recruited, phenotyping of Hp was performed for 195 TB patient and 50 healthy control participant by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In this study 140 (46.7%) TB cases were found MDR-PTB cases and 160 (53.3%) were sensitive to anti-TB drugs. Comparisons were made using chi2 test at α= 5%, the results showed that out of 140 MDR-PTB cases; males were more infected by MDR-PTB than females 97(69.3%) and 43(30.7%) respectively; there is no significant difference in getting the MDR-PTB infection (P=0.22), the age group 16-30 years had the highest frequency of MDR-PTB, the difference between age groups was insignificant (P=0.41), (32.9%) of MDR-PTB patients were new infection case and (67.1%) were retreatment cases (relapse, defaulter and failure cases), the retreatment was highly associated to MDR-PTB (P=0.00).The haptoglobin phenotype (2-1) was the dominant type in the healthy control group and in PTB patients; (58%) and (53.3%) respectively, Hp2-2 was (22%) in controls and (23.6%) in patients, Hp1-1 (20%) in controls and (21.5%) in patients, and Hp0-0 was detected only in patients group (1.5%), there was no association between Hp phenotype and PTB infection (P=0.9); also no association between Hp phenotype and getting the MDR strain of M.tb was detected (P=0.11), The study concluded there was no association between gender, age and Hp phenotype and TB infection, although (32.9%) of MDR-PTB patients were new infection; the strong association has been observed between anti-tuberculosis drugs resistance and previous treatment cases