3-Month-Old Battles Rare Drug-Resistant TB Without Symptoms

In a surprising medical case, doctors at Mumbai's JJ Hospital have diagnosed a 3-month-old infant with a rare, drug-resistant form of tuberculosis (TB) without the child exhibiting any symptoms. The infant, who was brought to the hospital from the western suburbs, is now the youngest patient at the hospital's paediatric TB ward.

The child was initially brought in for a routine screening after the mother was suspected of having TB. However, the infant's chest X-ray revealed extensive lung involvement, indicating the presence of TB, despite the child breathing normally, gaining weight, and taking regular feeds. Doctors were shocked to find such extensive disease in an asymptomatic patient.

Further tests confirmed that the infant has a drug-resistant strain of TB, which typically takes around 18 months to treat. The child is now being administered newer anti-TB medications, including bedaquiline, which are typically reserved for adult patients. The hospital's doctors have had to pulverize the tablets and prepare a customized dosage for the infant.

While paediatric TB cases have been on the rise in Mumbai, with around 5,000 drug-resistant patients reported annually, the dropping age of patients is a growing concern. Doctors say they are now seeing more children under the age of 1 being diagnosed with this deadly disease.