A 45-year-old senior doctor at Sewri TB Hospital has been diagnosed with the extremely drug resistant (XDR) form of tuberculosis. The doctor, who contracted the disease in June 2011, had been dithering on taking treatment, which resulted in the drug resistance. It is possibly the first XDR TB case in the medical fraternity.Dr Rajendra Nanvare, superintendent of the hospital, confirmed that the doctor has been diagnosed with the severe form of TB, but refused to elaborate. Another doctor said his report, which came out two weeks ago, showed that the doctor had been resistant to the first, second as well as most third-line of drugs.“He is not responding to almost all the medicines,; it seems he has the totally drug resistant (TDR) form of TB,” said the doctor.The World Health Organization has, however, said that the term 'totally drug resistant tuberculosis' is not yet recognised, and for now these cases are defined as extremely drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).While thousands of patients have been treated at Sewri TB Hospital, the largest of its kind in Asia, many of its employees, including doctors, have contracted the disease because of a lack of proper facilities and hygiene. According to the BMC, 45 people working there have contracted the disease. Of these, 36 people are currently undergoing treatment, including 23 for drug-resistant TB. These include the doctor and four nurses.