For rapid and low-cost detection of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we applied the nitrate reductase assay (NRA) using a liquid medium directly to sputum samples. A total of 179 sputum samples were analyzed by the NRA, and results were compared to those obtained by the indirect proportion method (IPM) as a standard reference. Out of 144 specimens for which comparable resul...

Drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) has been reported since the early days of introduction of antitubercular chemotherapy, but recently multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), has been an area of growing concern, and is posing threat to global efforts of tuberculosis control. Prevalence of MDR-TB, in a community mirrors the functional state and efficacy of tuberculosis control programme and...

Mutations of rpoB associated with rifampin resistance were studied in 37 multidrug-resistant (MDR) clinical strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated in Italy. At least one mutated codon was found in each MDR strain. It was always a single-base substitution leading to an amino acid change. Nine different rpoB alleles, three of which had not been reported before, were found. The relative fr...

BACKGROUND Multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis infections cause public health concerns worldwide. Local epidemiologic data about the drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolate (Mtb) is critical to guide appropriate empirical therapy to cure patients and restrain the spread of tuberculosis. METHODS Antituberculosis susceptibility testing was performed for...

Abstract Background : It is a practice to use traditional medicine for curing various illnesses in West Africa. Acacia hebecladoides , albida and Gmelina arborea were selected based on their belief treating ailments such as: hallucinations, inflammation tuberculosis. The study sought validate the antitubercular activity, antioxidant properties phytochemical components of extracts fractions leav...

OBJECTIVE To determine the resistance patterns of mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates among category I and II patients of pulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS This cross sectional study was conducted at the Department of Medicine, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro, from November 2008 to September 2009. Patients were divided into category I and II. The sputa were coll...

Isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF) are the two most effective drugs in tuberculosis therapy. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of resistance to these two drugs is essential to quickly diagnose multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis and extensive drug-resistant tuberculosis. Nine clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates resistant to only INH and RIF and 10 clinical pan-sensitive isola...

BACKGROUND Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) has emerged as a major challenge toward TB control and prevention. In Lianyungang city, the extent and trend of drug resistant TB is not well known. The objective of the survey was to assess drug resistance pattern of MTB and risk factors for drug resistant TB, including multidrug resistance tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in this area. METHODS We performed d...

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a major public health problem because treatment is complicated, cure rates are well below those for drug-susceptible tuberculosis (TB), and patients may remain infectious for months or years, despite receiving the best available therapy. To gain a better understanding of MDR-TB, we characterized serial isolates recovered from 13 human immunodeficienc...

The new WHO guidelines for the treatment on Tuberculosis (4th edition) has come out in 2010 with several important changes from the previous guideline published in 2003.1 Major progress in global TB control follows the wide spread implementation of DOTs strategy. In 2006 stop TB strategy was launched with the objective of (i) universal access to patient centred treatment and protection of popul...