Surveillance of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in The Gambia.
To determine the rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis in The Gambia, Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained from 225 patients during a nationwide survey were tested against isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and streptomycin using the resistance ratio method. Only nine (4%) of the patients had strains that were resistant to one or more drugs. None of the patients with drug-resistant M. tuberculosis had previously been treated for tuberculosis. Drug-resistant tuberculosis is, as yet, not common in The Gambia. Periodic surveys for drug-resistant tuberculosis are recommended to monitor changes that may emerge over time.
Medical Research Council Laboratories, Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa. radegbola@mrc.gm
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Adegbola
P
P
Hill
I
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Baldeh
J
J
Otu
R
R
Sarr
J
J
Sillah
C
C
Lienhardt
T
T
Corrah
K
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Manneh
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Drobniewski
K P W J
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McAdam
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D018432:Drug Resistance, Multiple; D005260:Female; D005714:Gambia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*
D000995:Antitubercular Agents