The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease : the official journal of the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
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Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in adults is either acquired due to poor treatment management or transmitted from infectious DR-TB cases, while children mainly have transmitted disease. Diagnosis of DR-TB relies on drug susceptibility testing (DST), which is not routinely performed in high tuberculosis (TB) burden settings. The Category II retreatment regimen is inadequate for Category I failures if multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is present. ⋯ The presence of FQ resistance prior to MDR-TB treatment poses a serious challenge. To prevent the development of extensively drug-resistant TB, strategies to protect the FQs, the most important second-line agents, need to be developed. Clinical trials assessing MDR-TB treatment regimens are urgently needed.