Abstract

Globally, an estimated 10.0 million (range, 9.0-11.1 million) people fell ill with TB in 2018, a
number that has been relatively stable in recent years. The burden of disease varies
enormously among countries, from fewer than five to more than 500 new cases per 100 000
population per year, with the global average being around 130. The sputum samples were
treated with a sample reagent (SR) containing sodium hydroxide and isopropanol. The SR
was added to the sample in a ratio of 2:1 and incubated at room temperature for 15 min. The
treated sample is then manually transferred to the cartridge which is loaded into the
GeneXpert instrument. A printable test result was obtained after 1hour 45 minutes.
Considering the chief complaints at presentation, majority of patients (96%) had cough,
followed by fever in 40% cases, shortness of breath in 22%, hemoptysis in 6% and weight
loss in 6%.