title: Drug-resistant tuberculosis in the 1990s.
abstract: There has been an upsurge of tuberculosis in many parts of the world in the past decade. The high rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis currently reported in many countries are alarming. The most catastrophic phenomenon is the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These organisms have caused epidemic outbreaks in nosocomial and health-care settings in the USA and some European countries. In addition to immigration, poverty, alcoholism and intravenous substance abuse, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has also had a significant impact on the prevalence of drug resistance, since amongst these patient groups a common factor giving rise to drug resistance is noncompliance. Rapid drug susceptibility tests are needed, and effective chemotherapy regimens with newly developed drugs in combination with traditional second-line antituberculosis agents for established multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are urgently being sought. There is also a quest for other novel modalities of therapy. Measures should be actively adopted to prevent the development of drug resistance. Well formulated short-course chemotherapy as initial treatment and ensurance of compliance are the most important components. The organization of a national tuberculosis control programme with a sound and adequately functioning infrastructure remains the most effective strategy to combat the resurgence of tuberculosis and to curtail drug resistance.
authors.affiliation: Tuberculosis & Chest Unit, Grantham Hospital, Aberdeen, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Yew
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Chau
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects; D010349:Patient Compliance; D015995:Prevalence; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents