title: Drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Korea.
abstract: Drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been investigated with isolates from patients screened from a sample population of the nationwide tuberculosis prevalence surveys or from routine cultures. The results showed a close inverse relationship between the prevalence of drug resistance and the efficiency of the past or current National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTP) treatment regimens. Individual drug resistance also showed a close relationship with the extent of use of the relevant drugs. Drug resistance was found in 38.0% of M. tuberculosis isolates from patients in the 1965 survey and remained unchanged until it increased to 48.0% in 1980. The resistance prevalence, however, dropped to 25.3% in the 1990 survey. Such a decrease coincided fairly well with a continuous increase of the treatment efficiency (from 60% in 1984 to 77% in 1989) in the 1980s. Initial drug resistance (IR) also showed a similar trend, namely 26.2% in 1965, 23.9% in 1970, 20.1% in 1975, 30.6% in 1980, 17.4% in 1985 and 15.0% in 1990. A higher prevalence of IR was observed among urban patients than rural patients and among young as opposed to old patients.
authors: Korean Institute of Tuberculosis, Korean National Tuberculosis Association, Seoul.
authors: S J
authors: SJ
authors: Kim
authors: Y P
authors: YP
authors: Hong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D012424:Rural Population; D012737:Sex Factors; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014505:Urban Population