NGS is the Most Advanced Tool for Improving the Management and Control of Tuberculosis – Dr. Rashmi Khadapkar

Abstract

There is an urgent need for economical, transportable, and quick TB detection in a low-resource environment like India. Sputum smear microscopy has been used for more than a century as a standard method for identifying mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb). Results from M.tb cultivation take three to six weeks. This may take significantly longer for tests of medication susceptibility. This results in a protracted delay in diagnosis, which in turn delays treatment and may speed up the progression of the illness.

In India, diagnostic clinics play a significant role in the research and development of innovative solutions to provide quick access to TB diagnosis and treatment, because the use of digital technology for testing, tracking, monitoring, and preventing disease transmission at the central, state, and district levels is the need of the hour. They could also help make India self-reliant in diagnostics.

The Indian Practitioner interviewed Dr. Rashmi Khadapkar, Sr. Research Scientist and Sr. DGM R&D Operations
from SRL Diagnostics on the latest diagnostic techniques for TB.