Which medicine is best for MDR-TB?

Levofloxacin and moxifloxacin are the two most frequently recommended agents, and the WHO has recommended the use of these drugs for the treatment of MDR-TB. The optimal dose of levofloxacin is 750 mg once daily and that of moxifloxacin is 400 mg once daily.

Can MDR-TB be cured completely?

The Grim Facts of Today’s TB Therapy The pandemic can’t be overcome without improved cures. Only about half the people with MDR-TB around the world are successfully cured. TB treatment is lengthy and burdensome to patients and treatment providers alike.

Where in the world are MDR-TB cases the highest?

1 India, China, the Russian Federation, and South Africa account for more than half of the world’s total cases of MDR TB, but the highest proportion of cases that are MDR TB occur in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Where is MDR-TB found?

TB usually affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body, such as the brain, the kidneys, or the spine. In most cases, TB is treatable and curable; however, persons with TB can die if they do not get proper treatment.

How is MDR treated?

MDR regimens should include at least pyrazinamide, a fluoroquinolone, an injectable anti-TB drug, ethionamide (or prothionamide) and either cycloserine or PAS (para-aminosalycylic acid) if cycloserine cannot be used (conditional recommendation, very low quality evidence)(1).

Does MDR-TB spread?

Drug-resistant TB (DR TB) is spread the same way that drug-susceptible TB is spread. TB is spread through the air from one person to another. The TB bacteria are put into the air when a person with TB disease of the lungs or throat coughs, sneezes, speaks, or sings.

How long is MDR treatment?

MDR- and XDR-TB need prolonged treatment duration, from 18 to 24 months after sputum culture conversion, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) [2]. A prolonged duration of treatment may lead to poor adherence, higher cost and undue toxicity.

Can MDR-TB cause death?

However, mortality due to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remains particularly high. Globally, almost 20% of patients started on MDR-TB treatment die during the course of treatment every year.

How long is MDR-TB infectious?

We agree that the infectiousness of TB patients diminishes rapidly once effective treatment is initiated. However, there is considerable evidence against dogmatic claims that patients are no longer infectious after 2 weeks of treatment.

How MDR-TB is diagnosed?

FASTPlaque-Response is a phage amplification-based test, and has been developed for direct use on sputum specimens. Drug resistance is diagnosed when M tuberculosis is detected in samples that contain the drug (ie, RIF).