AEGiS-UPI: Resistant TB strains, HIV linked

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Resistant TB strains, HIV linked

United Press International - October 27, 2006

NEW YORK - Drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis could threaten both successful TB therapies and HIV treatment programs, U.S. and South African scientists said.

Researchers at Yeshiva University in New York and their South African partners said the resistant strains of TB were more common than thought in a rural area of South Africa, the university said in a news release. These strains also were associated with high death rates of HIV-infected patients, the university said Thursday.

Neel Gandhi, with Yeshiva's Albert Einstein College of Medicine, said researchers tested TB patients for the two strains -- multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and extensively drug resistant tuberculosis, the university said. Of the 1,539 patients tested, 221 had MDR, and 53 of these patients had XDR, which was higher than previously reported for the area.

The MDR strain of TB is resistant to first-line drug treatment and the XDR strain is resistant to second-line drug treatment that is used when a first-line drug therapy fails, the university said.

Researchers found a greater risk of TB infection in HIV-infected patients, the university said, and the MDR strain was emerging as a major cause of death when the two conditions converged.

061027
UP061024

Copyright © 2006 - United Press International. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through United Press International, Permissions Desk, 1510 H St. N.W. Washington DC 2005. Main Phone Switchboard: 202-898-8000 FAX: 202-898-8057 or 202-898-8147 Email: info@upi.com.

AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Elton John AIDS Foundation UK, the National Library of Medicine, AIDS Walk of Orange County, and donations from users like you.

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2006. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2006. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .