Puducherry's shift to 100 pc rapid molecular test improves TB diagnosis

A complete shift from traditional microscopy testing to rapid molecular testing over the past five years has enabled early detection of tuberculosis cases, improving the diagnosis of microbiologically confirmed TB cases by around 30 per cent in Puducherry, officials said.

If these patients had gone undetected, they would have transmitted the disease in the community, Dr C Venkatesh, State TB Officer of Puducherry, said.

One untreated TB individual can infect a minimum of 10-15 persons per year.

In 2018, only 13 per cent of patients could undergo molecular/NAAT test as an initial diagnostic test. However, with the concerted efforts of the Puducherry State TB Cell, 100 per cent of TB suspects are now being tested using Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAAT), Dr Venkatesh said.

This means patients are now receiving quicker and more accurate tests and signifies the precious treatment time that is saved by the health department in saving lives, he said.

Under the Presumptive TB Examination Rate (PTEBR) framework, Puducherry has aggressively implemented programmatic reforms aimed at early detection, efficient diagnostics, community engagement, and nutritional support.

''A key pillar has been the shift to 100 per cent upfront NAAT for all presumptive TB cases, thanks to the 100 days campaign- Nikshay Shivir initiative where this could be more widely advocated for and helped sustained in practice within the UT, respectively,'' Dr Venkatesh said.

This has led to a 30 per cent increase in microbiologically confirmed TB cases and faster treatment initiation, especially in drug-resistant cases, he said.

Complementing this is the performance of the Intermediate Reference Laboratory (IRL) at the Government Chest Hospital, which ranked first nationally in 2024.

It processes over 1.2 lakh samples annually and caters to both Puducherry and seven districts of Tamil Nadu compounding to around two crore population, District Magistrate, Puducherry A Kulothungan said.

As a result, the UT saw testing rates increase from 2,233/lakh in 2015 to 5,268/lakh in first quarter of 2025, a 136 per cent improvement.

''TB incidence has dropped by 59 per cent since 2015, earning Puducherry a silver medal in India's Sub-National TB Certification in 2022,'' Kulothungan said.

The shift to NAAT testing has improved two aspects-- firstly in microscopy testing heavy bacterial load (10000 bacteria per ml) in a given sample is needed, whereas in the genetic molecular testing (NAAT test) even less than thousand bacteria in a given sample can be detected, explained Dr S Govindarajan, Mission Director of National Health Mission (NHM), Puducherry.

Secondly, through the microscopic testing we can confirm the presence of TB bacteria alone, Dr Govindarajan explained.

In the NAAT test, apart from diagnosis of TB bacteria simultaneously the resistance pattern of the key TB drug--- Rifampicin--can be detected, he stated.

Puducherry was recognised by the Union Minister of Health for its sustained efforts during the 100-day campaign which ended on March 17.

During the 100-day campaign, over 3.8 lakh vulnerable individuals were screened using door-to-door Active Case Finding( ACF) and AI-based hand held X-ray devices, Dr Govindarajan said.

Modern tools like AI-enabled chest X-rays and NAAT are deployed at scale, supporting even distant places such as Mahe, Yanam and Karaikal.

In 2025, eight villages were declared TB-Free - Sivaranthagam, Ariyur(N), Vathanur, Soriyankuppam, Kudiyiruppalaya, Pooranankuppam, Sembipalayam and Korkadu, Dr Venkatesh added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)