title: First Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis for Second-line Anti-tuberculosis Drugs in Ghana.
abstract: We performed drug susceptibility testing on first- and second-line drugs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) for the first time in Ghana to obtain preliminary data on drug-resistant tuberculosis. Of 21 isolates (4 new cases and 17 treated cases), 5 (23.8%) were multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and 19 (90.5%) were resistant to at least one drug, but no extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) was identified. Since the target patients were Category II, IV or smear positive at follow-up microscopy, it is understandable that there were many drug-resistant TB cases. Six isolates were resistant to one or two second-line drugs, but the second-line drugs were not approved in Ghana. It is considered that the bacilli were imported from abroad. Preventing the import of drug-resistant TB bacilli is probably one of best ways to control TB in Ghana.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mycobacterium Reference and Research, The Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Anti-tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Kennedy Kwasi
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Addo
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nartey
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana.
authors.forename: Alexander Kwadwo
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Nyarko
authors.affiliation: National Tuberculosis Programme, Ghana Health Service, Ghana.
authors.forename: Frank Adae
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Bonsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Mycobacterium Reference and Research, The Research Institute of Tuberculosis, Japan Anti-tuberculosis Association, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mitarai
keywords: Drug susceptibility testing; Ghana; MDR/XDR-TB; second-line drugs