Worldwide emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains that are resistant to an increasing number of second-line drugs used to treat multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) are becoming a threat to public health worldwide. We surveyed the Network of Supranational Reference Laboratories for M. tuberculosis isolates that were resistant to second-line anti-TB drugs during 2000-2004. We defined extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR TB) as MDR TB with further resistance to > or = 3 of the 6 classes of second-line drugs. Of 23 eligible laboratories, 14 (61%) contributed data on 17,690 isolates, which reflected drug susceptibility results from 48 countries. Of 3,520 (19.9%) MDR TB isolates, 347 (9.9%) met criteria for XDR TB. Further investigation of population-based trends and expanded efforts to prevent drug resistance and effectively treat patients with MDR TB are crucial for protection of public health and control of TB.
Shah
N Sarita
NS
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. sshah@montefiore.org
Wright
Abigail
A
Bai
Gill-Han
GH
Barrera
Lucia
L
Boulahbal
Fadila
F
Martín-Casabona
Nuria
N
Drobniewski
Francis
F
Gilpin
Chris
C
Havelková
Marta
M
Lepe
Rosario
R
Lumb
Richard
R
Metchock
Beverly
B
Portaels
Françoise
F
Rodrigues
Maria Filomena
MF
Rüsch-Gerdes
Sabine
S
Van Deun
Armand
A
Vincent
Veronique
V
Laserson
Kayla
K
Wells
Charles
C
Cegielski
J Peter
JP
D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003140:Communicable Disease Control; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007753:Laboratories; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant
D000995:Antitubercular Agents