Tuberculosis trends in eastern Libya, Benghazi region, from 2021 to 2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54361/LJMR.20.1.35Keywords:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Pulmonary TB, Extrapulmonary TB, GeneXpert MTB/RIF, AFBAbstract
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a global public health problem, particularly in developing countries. TB is the 13th leading cause of death worldwide and the top cause from a single infectious agent in 2019. Drug-resistant (DR-TB) is another area of concern, particularly Multidrug resistant (MDR) or Rifampicin Risistant (RR-TB), which is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) with resistance to RIF and Isoniazid (INH) or only to RIF.Objective: Determine the prevalence of tuberculosis and Rifampicin resistant in Benghazi, Libya.Materials and Methods: A retrospective study included 1192 TB-suspected cases within three years from 2021 to 2023 registered in Al-Kuwaifeya Specialized Teaching Hospital for Chest and Tuberculosis in Benghazi, Libya. Pulmonary or extrapulmonary samples were collected from cases based on infection type. GeneXpert MTB/RIF and acid-fast stain (AFS) assays were utilized for the rapid diagnosis of M. tuberculosis infection and DR-TB. Results: A total of 27.1% (323/1192) tested positive for MTB, 11.5% were resistant to Rifampicin. The majority of TB cases were pulmonary TB (97.2%). The highest infection rates were in males (75.9%), while females were (24.1%). An increase in the infection rate was observed for the age category 25-34 (30.7%), and a decrease rate was observed in the age category 0-14 (4.0%). Libyans had the maximum infection rate (68.1%), and the highest rates of TB cases among non-Libyans were Sudanese (15.8%) and Chadian (8.7%). Conclusion: This study reported the increase in the infection rate of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance compared with previous studies. Further studies is recommended to determine the risk factors related to TB infection among the population. Rapid and accurate methods of diagnosing Mycobacterium tuberculosis are essential for early initiation of treatment, prevention, and improvement of patient outcomes.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Khaled Ali Al Mehdawi, Hadil Hashim Omran, Naser El Din Ali El Tabouly3, Aisha Bohawia Arhouma, Abuishnaf Faraj Al Zarouq, Eman Mahmoud Barghouti, Amyirah Ghayth Ali, Reema Yadim Hamid, Ali Mohammed Ghazi, Mohamed Jamil Hassan (Author)
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