title: Quantitative drug-susceptibility in patients treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Bangladesh: implications for regimen choice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment in Bangladesh is empiric or based on qualitative drug-susceptibility testing (DST) by comparative growth in culture media with and without a single drug concentration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult patients were enrolled throughout Bangladesh during the period of 2011-2013 at MDR-TB treatment initiation. Quantitative DST by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing for 12 first and second-line anti-TB drugs was compared to pretreatment clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes. MIC values at or one dilution lower than the resistance breakpoint used for qualitative DST were categorized as borderline susceptible, and MIC values one or two dilutions greater as borderline resistant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-four patients were enrolled with a mean age of 35 ± 15 years, and 51 (69%) were men. Of the rifampin isolates with MIC >1.0 μg/ml, 12 (19%) were fully susceptible or borderline susceptible to rifabutin (MIC ≤ 0.5 μg/ml). Amikacin was fully susceptible in 73 isolates (99%), but kanamycin in only 54 (75%) (p<0.001). Ofloxacin was borderline susceptible in 64%, and fully susceptible in only 14 (19%) compared to 60 (81%) of isolates fully susceptible for moxifloxacin (p<0.001). Kanamycin non-susceptibility and receipt of the WHO Category IV regimen trended with interim treatment failure: adjusted odd ratios respectively of 5.4 [95% CI 0.82-36.2] (p = 0.08) and 7.2 [0.64-80.7] (p = 0.11).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quantitative MIC testing could impact MDR-TB regimen choice in Bangladesh. Comparative trials of higher dose or later generation fluoroquinolone, within class change from kanamycin to amikacin, and inclusion of rifabutin appear warranted.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Scott K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Heysell
authors.affiliation: Mycobacteriology Laboratory, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Shahriar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Mycobacteriology Laboratory, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Sara Sabrina
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ferdous
authors.affiliation: Mycobacteriology Laboratory, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md Siddiqur Rahman
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.affiliation: Mycobacteriology Laboratory, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: S M Mazidur
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gratz
authors.affiliation: Mycobacteriology Laboratory, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md Toufiq
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Diseases of Chest and Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Asif Mujtaba
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mahmud
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Eric R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Houpt
authors.affiliation: Mycobacteriology Laboratory, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Sayera
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents