Under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), a patient with pulmonary TB who is a close contact of a known drug-resistant TB case should PRIMARILY be offered:

• A Standard first-line DOTS (2HRZE/4HR)
• B Drug susceptibility testing before initiating any regimen ✓
• C Empiric second-line treatment while awaiting DST results
• D Preventive therapy with isoniazid alone for 6 months

Explanation

NTEP guidelines specify that all TB patients who are close contacts of confirmed drug-resistant TB cases must have baseline drug susceptibility testing (using CBNAAT/Xpert MTB/RIF or line probe assay) before treatment initiation to guide appropriate regimen selection. Initiating first-line DOTS without DST risks amplifying resistance; empiric second-line treatment requires confirmation.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.