Tuberculosis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Tuberculosis, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, pulmonary, mycobacterium.

Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis: current challenges and threats.

Jain A, Mondal R

Department of Microbiology, C.S.M. Medical University, Lucknow, India. amita602002@yahoo.com

Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is defined as tuberculosis caused by a Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain that is resistant to at least rifampicin and isoniazid among the first-line antitubercular drugs (multidrug-resistant tuberculosis; MDR-TB) in addition to resistance to any fluroquinolones and at least one of three injectable second-line drugs, namely amikacin, kanamycin and/or capreomycin. Recent studies have described XDR-TB strains from all continents. Worldwide prevalence of XDR-TB is estimated to be c. 6.6% in all the studied countries among multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis strains. The emergence of XDR-TB strains is a reflection of poor tuberculosis management, and controlling its emergence constitutes an urgent global health reality and a challenge to tuberculosis control activities in all parts of the world, especially in developing countries and those lacking resources and as well as in countries with increasing prevalence of HIV/AIDS.

Published 30 June 2008 in FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 53(2): 145-50.
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