PREVALENCE OF MYCOBACTERIUM LEPRAE RESISTANT TO RIFAMPICIN AND CORRELATION TO RISK FACTORS AT RSUP DR SITANALA TANGERANG

Abstract

Leprosy or Morbus Hansen (MH) is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae which still a problem in several developed country. Until now, no molecular diagnostic tools and data about drug resistance at RSUP dr Sitanala, one of referral hospital for leprosy in Indonesia. This cross sectional research using skin-scrapping specimens during June to December 2020. The inclusion criteria was leprosy patient which categorized as “failure of treatment”. We collected 50 acid-fast bacilli positive specimens, the DNA then extracted and tested with conventional nested polymerase chain reaction method at the biomolecular laboratory, Faculty of medicine, Universitas Indonesia. The M. leprae identification primer was the RLEP gene. The first polymerase chain reaction amplicon then purified and proceed to second polymerase chain reaction with gene Rpob as the primer. The second amplicon was purified and proceed to sequencing with Sanger method. The sequencing result then aligned with the consensus from GeneBank using seqscape program. In this study, M. leprae of 47 specimens were verified by the molecular detection method. The Rpob gene was detected in 35 from the 47 verified specimens (74.5%). However, the Rpob gene sequencing result only showed 1 specimen with mutation. From this result, we concluded the Rpob gene mutation is not necessarily found in the leprosy patient with treatment failure. Therefore, the treatment failure is not only caused by the mutation of the target therapy, but other factors such as environmental and behavioural component might be influenced the treatment result. Further research is needed.