The emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) substantially challenges TB control, especially in the European Region of the World Health Organization, where the highest prevalence of MDR/XDR cases is reported. The current management of patients with MDR/XDR-TB is extremely complex for medical, social and public health systems. The treatment wi...

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...

Last year in 2013, we reported an outbreak due to indigo-pigmented Acinetobacter baumannii strains in a hospital from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Here, we present the draft genome sequence of one of the strains (A. baumannii A33405) involved in the outbreak. This isolate was categorized as extensively drug-resistant (XDR) and harbors different genetic elements associated with horizontal genetic tr...

Pakistan is a high-burden country for tuberculosis (TB). The emergence and increasing incidence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB has been reported in Pakistan. Similarly, the prevalence of multidrug-resistant TB infections with fluoroquinolone resistance (pre-XDR) is also increasing. To treat these infections, local drug susceptibility patterns of alternate antituberculosis agents, includ...

We show that the interpretation of molecular epidemiological data for extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) is dependent on the number of different markers used to define transmission. Using spoligotyping, IS6110 DNA fingerprinting, and DNA sequence data, we show that XDR-TB in South Africa (2006 to 2008) was predominantly driven by the acquisition of second-line drug resistance.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains that are resistant to an elevating number of second-line medicines used treat multidrug-resistant becoming a threat public health worldwide. Recent guidelines recommended at least 20 months treatment, but recent regimens toxic, poorly tolerated and insufficiently effective, with cure rates as low 36% failure high 50%. The emergence can be defined isoniazid rif...

BACKGROUND Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) is undermining TB control in South Africa. However, there are hardly any data about the cost of treating DR-TB in high burden settings despite such information being quintessential for the rational planning and allocation of resources by policy-makers, and to inform future cost-effectiveness analyses. METHODOLOGY We analysed the comparative 2011 ...