Classification of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Classification of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Lancet (www.thelancet.com) (12/02/00) Vol. 356, No. 9245, P. 1930
Sonnenberg, Pamela; Godfrey-Faussett, Peter; Glynn, Judith R.; et al.

In response to two letters to the editor regarding their recent Lancet article about the classification of drug- resistant tuberculosis (TB) in an epidemic area, Aventis Pasteur researchers agree that discussions about the classification of drug resistance should not affect efforts to make sure patients complete their treatments. After finding high transmission rates of multidrug-resistant TB among new and previously treated individuals, the authors concluded "that infection or reinfection with a multidrug-resistant strain of tuberculosis was important in the area studied," and thus, further research is needed. Various factors--including differences in study design, TB prevalence, multidrug- resistant outbreaks, and the virulence of the circulating strains--may produce different results. One key finding of this research, however, is "that surveillance data based on history of previous treatment are insufficient to predict drug resistance, to predict transmission of multidrug resistance, and to correctly assess a tuberculosis control programme."
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