Tuberculosis (TB) remains a worldwide emergency (8 million new cases per year, 2 million deaths annually) mostly affecting poor countries. To this old, persistent threat, a new emergency is adding further challenge, i.e., the multidrug-resistant TB, which in its extreme and highly lethal form is called XDR TB (extensively drug-resistant TB). How to fight XDR TB is a high research and public hea...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has become a new threat for the control of TB in many countries including India. Its prevalence is not known in India as there is no nation-wide surveillance. However, there have been some reports from various hospitals in the country. METHODS We have reviewed the studies/information available in the public domain and fo...

TO THE EDITOR—Outbreaks of extremedrug resistant (XDR)–Acinetobacter baumannii have occurred in several parts of the world and are associated with increased morbidity, mortality and healthcare resource utilization [1–3]. Termination of an outbreak can be challenging in a resource-limited setting, given the lack of infection prevention infrastructure and staff [4]. Little information is availabl...

C static analysis tools need access to intermediate representations (IRs) that organize program data in a well-structured manner. However, the C parsers that create IRs are slow, and they are not available for most languages. To solve these problems, we investigate two language-independent, on-disk representations of C IRs: one using XML, and the other using an Internet standard binary encoding...

High mortality rates have been reported for patients co-infected with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) and HIV, but treatment outcomes have not been reported. We report treatment outcomes for adult XDR TB patients in KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Initial data were obtained retrospectively, and outcomes were obtained prospectively during 24 months of treatment. A total of...

The emergence of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) is a serious global threat. Aminoglycoside antibiotics are used as a last resort to treat XDR-TB. Resistance to the aminoglycoside kanamycin is a hallmark of XDR-TB. Here, we reveal the function and structure of the mycobacterial protein Eis responsible for resistance to kanamycin in a significant fracti...

Emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has significantly threatened to jeopardize global efforts to control TB, especially in HIV endemic regions. XDR-TB is mainly an iatrogenically created issue, and understanding the epidemiological and risk factors associated with it is of paramount importance in curbing this menace. Emergence of this deadly phenomenon can be prevented...

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is an extraordinarily successful human pathogen, infecting one-third of the world's population and causing nearly two million deaths each year. In this article, current trends in worldwide tuberculosis (TB) incidence, prevalence, and mortality are discussed along with standard TB treatment regimens, characteristics of first-line and second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the clinical efficacy of pulmonary resection and postoperative use of a first-line drug regimen for patients with well-localized, cavitary pulmonary multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). METHODS This was a prospective case study set in the National Masan Tuberculosis Hospital in Masan, Republic of Korea. From Febr...

BACKGROUND Extensively drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (XDR-PA) isolates are susceptible to only one or two classes of antibiotics. In 2011-2012, we investigated an outbreak of XDR-PA affecting children with onco-hematological diseases. METHODS Outbreak investigation included ascertainment of cases, tracing of intestinal carriers and environmental surveillance. Contact precautions were ...