title: Drug resistance study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Canada, February 1, 1993 to January 31, 1994.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to first-line antituberculosis drugs in Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  M. tuberculosis isolates from one third of all culture-positive tuberculosis (TB) cases diagnosed between February 1, 1993 to January 31, 1994 in Canada were collected prospectively. Proportion of drug-resistant isolates and the factors related to drug resistance were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 458 study cases, 40 (8.7%) had resistance to at least one first-line antituberculosis drug, of which 5.9% had mono-resistance, 0.7% had multidrug-resistance(MDR-TB)--i.e., resistance to at least isoniazid and rifampin--and 2.2% had other patterns. The overall prevalence of resistance among the foreign-born cases was 10.6% with the highest level among those who resided in Canada for less than four years (15.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Canada has a relatively low prevalence of antituberculosis drug resistance and a very low prevalence of MDR-TB. Some new immigrants to Canada may be at higher risk for drug resistance and their initial treatment needs to be tailored accordingly.
authors.affiliation: Division of Blood Borne Pathogens, LCDC, Ottawa. ezzat_farzad@hc-sc.gc.ca
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Farzad
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Holton
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: FitzGerald
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laszlo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Njoo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fanning
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hershfield
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hoeppner
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Allen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002170:Canada; D019049:Developed Countries; D003906:Developing Countries; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents