Drug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in southern Africa.
OBJECTIVE
Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is of increasing global concern. One of the hardest hit regions is southern Africa. This study focuses on a concise update on recently published developments in the field.


RESULTS
There is mounting evidence from high-coprevalence areas that the TB and HIV pandemics must be viewed as an entity and tackled together. In that context, it has become clear that a shift may be required from standard hospital-based models of care towards community-based approaches. Innovative rapid diagnostics to detect TB drug resistance suitable for the use in resource-poor settings and novel drugs effective against drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains are currently developed.


CONCLUSIONS
In order to allow for a maximum impact of novel interventions on the problem of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB, public health systems and existing TB programs must be strengthened significantly.
Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. martin.grobusch@wits.ac.za
Martin Peter
MP
Grobusch
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003906:Developing Countries; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D054908:Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*
D000995:Antitubercular Agents