BACKGROUND In India, the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) has adopted the strategy of examining two specimens during follow-up culture examinations to monitor the treatment response of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients. OBJECTIVES To determine the incremental yield of the second sputum specimen during follow-up culture examinations among patients with ...

In this study, our objectives was to analyze the molecular characteristics of mutation at embB codon306 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Qingdao by pyrosequencing technology, and to assess the value of embB codon306 used as a molecular marker to diagnose multidrug resistant (MDR) TB strains. Pyrosequencing was used to detect mutations at embB codon306 among M. tuberculosis isolates from tubercu...

BACKGROUND Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) have emerged in high-HIV-prevalence settings, which generally lack laboratory infrastructure for diagnosing TB drug resistance. Even where available, inherent delays with current drug-susceptibility testing (DST) methods result in clinical deterioration and ongoing transmission of MDR and XDR-TB. Identif...

BACKGROUND Patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) incur huge expenditures for diagnosis and treatment; these costs can be reduced through a well-designed and implemented social health insurance mechanism. The State of Chhattisgarh in India successfully established a partnership between the Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) and the Health Insurance Programme, to form...

This study evaluates the serum concentrations of rifampin (RMP), isoniazid (INH), and intestinal barrier function in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), drug susceptible tuberculosis (DS-TB), and health volunteers (HC; controls). Peak serum concentrations of RMP were significantly lower in MDR-TB and DS-TB as compared with HC (odds ratio [OR] = 3.125, confidence interval [C...

A novel patient–oriented treatment delivery program was introduced for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients at high risk of treatment default in East Kazakhstan region, The Republic of Kazakhstan. In parallel interventions were introduced to improve programmatic and clinical management for all MDR-TB patients. To assess the effects of the patient support program on patient defaul...

OBJECTIVE To assess the problem of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) throughout Belarus and investigate the associated risk factors. METHODS In a nationwide survey in 2010-2011, 1420 tuberculosis (TB) patients were screened and 934 new and 410 previously treated cases of TB were found to meet the inclusion criteria. Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from each eligible patient wer...

BACKGROUND Few studies have examined outcomes for children treated for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), including those receiving concomitant treatment for MDR-TB and HIV co-infection. In Lesotho, where the adult HIV seroprevalence is estimated to be 24%, we sought to measure outcomes and adverse events in a cohort of children treated for MDR-TB using a community-based treatment deliv...

Observational data from Eastern Europe on the management and outcome of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) in HIV positive populations remain sparse in the English-language literature. We compared clinical characteristics and outcomes of 55 patients who were diagnosed with HIV and MDR TB in Eastern Europe between 2004 and 2006 to 89 patients whose Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates wer...

The soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) has been shown to be a strong prognostic biomarker for tuberculosis (TB). In the present study, the profiles of plasma suPAR levels in pulmonary TB patients at high risk for multidrug resistance were analyzed and compared with those in multidrug resistant (MDR)-TB patients. Forty patients were prospectively included, consisting of 10 ...