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New Delhi (December 10, 2004) -- Dr. Salman Siddiqi, BD Fellow, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), is on a special tour to India to promote automation in the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) in India.
Using automated diagnostic instruments developed by Siddiqi, the time taken for comprehensive specimen culture for TB can be significantly shortened to approximately seven days as compared with the 42-56 days required by manual methods. This leads to a higher base of diagnosed patients, enabling suitable treatment to begin sooner and reducing opportunities for the further spread of TB infection.
The BD BACTEC System also identifies the strains resistant to anti-TB drugs in 7-10 days rather than the 21 days using a manual method. This helps to enable faster and more accurate treatment.
Expressing his concern over the increasing spread of TB in India, Dr. Siddiqi commented, “The most crucial aspect in the control of TB in India is the need for rapid, accurate and cost-effective diagnosis of the disease. TB is no longer a poor man’s disease. The impact of TB is causing havoc for economies as it is seriously diminishing the work force. However, it is a treatable disease and, with coordination of public and private bodies, using effective and rapid diagnostic technology, we can envisage significant reductions in TB.”
Speaking on the occasion of Dr. Siddiqi’s visit, Ram Sharma, Managing Director, BD India said, “BD was the first company in the world to have moved the diagnosis of TB towards total automation. With an aim to replicate the same model in India, BD India is running a multi-objective, national level on the ‘Benefits of TB Diagnosis by Automation.” Under the programme, BD has been organizing countrywide seminars, lectures, road shows and presentations by global experts with knowledge updates, case studies and research data on TB. These efforts, along with communicating the importance of effective management through early and accurate diagnosis, are helping to raise awareness of tuberculosis and to build responsive mechanisms for prevention.”
Another reason adding to the TB menace is the association of TB with HIV. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death among people with HIV infection, accounting for a third of deaths due to AIDS worldwide. And as one of the first opportunistic infections to appear in HIV-infected people, TB may be the earliest sign of HIV infection. Although it is fueled by the HIV epidemic, TB is an infectious disease that does not remain confined to HIV-positive individuals.
About Multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis
Multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has become a very serious health problem. Resistance to any of the five primary drugs makes the disease more difficult and expensive to treat. The rapid detection of these strains is critical to the effective treatment of the infected patient.
Case fatality rates in MDR-TB are as high as 72–89 percent, and the time from diagnosis to death for some patients with MDR–TB and HIV may be only months, as they are sometimes left with no treatment options.
About BD BACTECä MGIT™ 960 System
The BD BACTEC MGIT 960 System is a new, fully automated instrument, noteworthy in its capacity and flexibility in combining growth, detection and susceptibility testing into a single system. As a result, space requirements of instruments as well as capital commitments are minimized. The system has a continuous monitoring capability for early reporting. Up to 960 samples can be accommodated in the instrument at one time.
About BD
BD is a medical technology company that serves healthcare institutions, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, industry and the general public. BD manufactures and sells a broad range of medical supplies, devices, laboratory equipment and diagnostic products. For the fiscal year ended September 30, 2004, BD reported total revenues of $4.935 billion. BD India started operations in India in 1997, a century after its genesis in New Jersey, USA.
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