The Evaluation of a Standard Treatment Regimen of Anti-tuberculosis Drugs for Patients With MDR-TB

Tuberculosis (TB) is a common, infectious, bacterial disease that is spread when an infected person transmits their saliva through the air by coughing or sneezing. Despite the availability and effectiveness of affordable six-month treatments for tuberculosis (TB), the worldwide control of this disease is currently being impacted by the emergence of multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB). MDR-TB refers to TB that is resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin. These are the two most powerful first-line drugs used to treat pulmonary TB. MDR-TB usually develops while a person is taking TB treatment due to either inappropriate treatment or failure of patients to comply with their treatment. This strain of drug-resistant bacteria can also be spread to other people through the air. With the incident rate of MDR-TB on the rise, there is a need to investigate optimal treatment regimens using effective drugs.