Document 0631
 DOCN  M9620631
 TI    Drug-resistant tuberculosis in the 1990s [see comments]
 DT    9602
 AU    Yew WW; Chau CH; Tuberculosis & Chest Unit, Grantham Hospital, Aberdeen,
       Hong; Kong.
 SO    Eur Respir J. 1995 Jul;8(7):1184-92. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE
       MED/96016596
 CM    Comment in: Eur Respir J 1995 Jul;8(7):1073-5
 AB    There has been an upsurge of tuberculosis in many parts of the world in
       the past decade. The high rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis currently
       reported in many countries are alarming. The most catastrophic
       phenomenon is the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of
       Mycobacterium tuberculosis. These organisms have caused epidemic
       outbreaks in nosocomial and health-care settings in the USA and some
       European countries. In addition to immigration, poverty, alcoholism and
       intravenous substance abuse, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
       infection has also had a significant impact on the prevalence of drug
       resistance, since amongst these patient groups a common factor giving
       rise to drug resistance is noncompliance. Rapid drug susceptibility
       tests are needed, and effective chemotherapy regimens with newly
       developed drugs in combination with traditional second-line
       antituberculosis agents for established multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
       are urgently being sought. There is also a quest for other novel
       modalities of therapy. Measures should be actively adopted to prevent
       the development of drug resistance. Well formulated short-course
       chemotherapy as initial treatment and ensurance of compliance are the
       most important components. The organization of a national tuberculosis
       control programme with a sound and adequately functioning infrastructure
       remains the most effective strategy to combat the resurgence of
       tuberculosis and to curtail drug resistance.
 DE    Antitubercular Agents/*THERAPEUTIC USE  AIDS-Related Opportunistic
       Infections/EPIDEMIOLOGY/MICROBIOLOGY  Drug Resistance, Microbial  Drug
       Therapy, Combination  Human  Microbial Sensitivity Tests  Mycobacterium
       tuberculosis/DRUG EFFECTS  Patient Compliance  Prevalence  Tuberculosis,
       Multidrug-Resistant/DRUG THERAPY/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/  THERAPY  Tuberculosis,
       Pulmonary/DRUG THERAPY/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/THERAPY  JOURNAL ARTICLE  REVIEW
       REVIEW, TUTORIAL

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