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Post-Treatment TB Relapse: Why It Happens And How To Stop It For Good
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that primarily targets the lungs. The majority of individuals heal fully after proper treatment. In some cases, tuberculosis may recur after treatment, referred to as recurrence. A relapse occurs when an infection, which was once believed to have been cured, reactivates. To learn more, we turn to Dr. Arun Chowdary Kotaru, who shares valuable insights on everything you need to know.
Unless TB treatment is completed, usually six months or longer, Dr. Chowdary says, a few of the bacteria survive and re-establish themselves in the future, leading to a relapse. Individuals with compromised immunity, for example, individuals with diabetes or HIV are more at risk. Malnutrition and poor sleep also further compromise the body's resistance. Drug-resistant TB bacteria are able to endure treatment and trigger the relapse of the disease.What are the relapse warning signs in Tuberculosis?
If TB reappears, it can have symptoms that resemble the first time it occurred. "One of the most frequent indicators is a long term cough that persists for over three weeks. Other symptoms are fever, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, and fatigue," he says, adding that pain in the chest and shortness of breath can also be present. Identifying these early indicators is important for timely medical care and avoiding complications early on.How to prevent TB relapse?
Why Is Tuberculosis Deadly?
Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world, causing millions of deaths each year.
TB is caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which spreads when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or even talks.
Unlike diseases that spread through physical contact, TB bacteria can linger in the air for hours, increasing the risk of infection.
One of the biggest challenges with TB is the rise of drug-resistant strains.
This happens when people do not complete their TB treatment or take incorrect medications, the bacteria doesn't respond to treatments.
TB primarily affects the lungs, causing severe coughing, chest pain, and breathing difficulties. If left untreated, the bacteria can spread to other organs.
Some people infected with TB bacteria do not show symptoms immediately. This is known as latent TB. People with latent TB are not sick, but the bacteria can become active years later.
TB is especially deadly for people with weak immune systems, such as those living with HIV/AIDS, diabetes, or malnutrition.
DBT Completes Sequencing Of 10,000 TB Genome Samples, Aims To Reach Target Of 32,500 Samples By November 2025
Representative imagePhoto Credit: Getty Images
The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has completed the genomic sequencing of a third, or 10,000 samples, of the target of 32,500 samples of mycobacterium tuberculosis — the bacteria behind tuberculosis (TB)— in a bid to improve the understanding of drug-resistant TB and capture unique genomic features of the TB bacterium in India. Of the sequenced samples, 7% are said to be resistant to a single drug.
The preliminary numbers were reported at an event organised by the DBT on Monday (March 24, 2025) to mark World TB Day.
The genome sequencing initiative, part of "Dare2eraD TB", an umbrella programme of the DBT, was launched in 2022 with a goal to sequence about 32,500 samples from across the country. It is tied to the Centre's broader mission to eliminate TB.
Nine labs of the DBT, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) are involved in the programme as part of a consortium called Indian Tuberculosis Genomic Surveillance. Officials said they expected all the samples to be sequenced by October 2025.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in 2018, at the End TB Summit, claimed that India would "eradicate" tuberculosis in the country by 2025. This, he underlined, would be five years ahead of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) target of 2030. India has the highest number of diagnosed TB cases and therefore is critical to eliminating the millennia-old disease.
India has 28% of new TB cases worldwideIn WHO parlance, 'eradicating' a disease means bringing thenumber of cases close to zero. "Eliminating TB," the WHO says, means getting the number down to about one in a million. As per the latest estimates, India has 1,990 cases per million in 2022, down from 2,370 per million in 2015.
India accounts for about 28% of new TB cases worldwide. This again, refers to those who have been clinically confirmed to have TB and those with 'latent' TB could be potentially up to 3,000 per million, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, former head of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and advisor to the Health Ministry on tuberculosis, told The Hindu in an interview last August.
Having a large pool of those asymptomatic with tuberculosis means they will continue to spread the disease, leading to a burgeoning pool of new cases.
Another major challenge is the prevalence of drug-resistant TB. Of the 10,000 samples sequenced as part of the DBT project, 7% were reportedly resistant to a single drug, according to a presentation made on Thursday by scientists at the National Institute of Immunology (NII).
"Better understanding of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis along with careful use of AI means you can make tests that will reduce the time taken to confirm TB from three weeks to one week," said Debasisa Mohanty, Director, NII.
In the dataset, most of the those with TB spanned 18-45 years of age. A significant number of them were diabetic and underweight.
Published - March 24, 2025 09:12 pm IST
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