en ميکروب شناسي Microbiology تحقيقي Original Paper <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b>Background:</b> Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of the respiratory system that spreads when a patient coughs, sneezes, or spits. COVID-19, another respiratory disease, created havoc in 2020 and 2021.&nbsp; During this pandemic, the whole healthcare system was diverted into COVID-19 patient care. It is important to determine what the status of TB was during the COVID-19 period. This study was mainly undertaken to detect the occurrence of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis </i>(<i>M. tuberculosis</i>) and rifampicin resistance before, during, and after COVID-19 restrictions were fully released.<br> <b>Methods:</b> Pulmonary and extrapulmonary samples from 1^stJanuary 2018 till 31^st December 2022 were included in the present retrospective study. The period was divided as- 2018, 2019 - Before COVID-19 2020, 2021 -COVID-19 period with restrictions (Such as use of masks, social distancing, avoiding gatherings) 2022 -COVID-19 period without restrictions. All samples received in TB section were subjected to Cartridge-Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (CBNAAT). The samples were processed according to the manufacturer&rsquo;s guidelines.<br> <b>Results:</b> There was no significant difference in samples received per year from 2018 to 2022. The positivity of <i>M. tuberculosis</i> decreased from 22.52% in the pre-COVID-19 period to 15.70% in the COVID-19 period with restrictions and increased again in 2022 (16.80%). Rifampicin resistance decreased from 10.40% to 6.89% in the COVID-19 period with restrictions. A decrease in positivity was not observed in extrapulmonary TB cases.<br> <b>Conclusion</b>: In the present study, total samples for TB received over five years were relatively the same. Restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 period could decrease TB and rifampicin resistance. Thus, imposing restrictions on TB-suspected and positive patients regularly can help prevent the spread of the disease.</span></span><br> &nbsp;</div> COVID-19, Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Rifampicin 19 21 http://mlj.goums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1773-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Sae Pol polappy@gmail.com 100319475328460029852 0009-0009-8556-1168 No Department of Microbiology, BJ Medical College, Pune, India Pooja Shah poojashah1688@gmail.com 100319475328460029853 100319475328460029853 No Department of Microbiology, BJ Medical College, Pune, India Vaishali Gaikwad dr.vaishalikadam26@gmail.com 100319475328460029854 100319475328460029854 No Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Satara, India Sujata Dharmshale sujatadharmshale@rediffmail.com 100319475328460029855 100319475328460029855 No Department of Microbiology, Government Medical College, Baramati, India Mansi Rajmane manasiraj75@gmail.com 100319475328460029856 100319475328460029856 No Department of Microbiology, BJ Medical College, Pune, India Rajesh Karyakarte karyakarte@hotmail.com 100319475328460029857 100319475328460029857 Yes Department of Microbiology, BJ Medical College, Pune, India