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  • Drug resistance cannot be diagnosed with smear microscopy alone.

  • A positive smear of drug-resistant TB appears the same as a positive smear of drug- susceptible TB as they are caused by the same organism.

  • With the introduction of rapid molecular tests, the presence of drug resistance for certain drugs can be detected in a matter of hours or days.

  • A DST determines if the M. tuberculosis strain grows in the presence of specific anti-TB drugs. If the strain grows, despite the presence of an anti-TB drug, it is said to be resistant to that drug.

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