Surveillance of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in The Gambia. |
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| Authors: | R A Adegbola P Hill I Baldeh J Otu R Sarr J Sillah C Lienhardt T Corrah K Manneh F Drobniewski K P W J McAdam |
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| Institution: | Medical Research Council Laboratories, Banjul, The Gambia, West Africa. radegbola@mrc.gm |
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| Abstract: | To determine the rates of drug-resistant tuberculosis in The Gambia, Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained from 225 patients during a nationwide survey were tested against isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol and streptomycin using the resistance ratio method. Only nine (4%) of the patients had strains that were resistant to one or more drugs. None of the patients with drug-resistant M. tuberculosis had previously been treated for tuberculosis. Drug-resistant tuberculosis is, as yet, not common in The Gambia. Periodic surveys for drug-resistant tuberculosis are recommended to monitor changes that may emerge over time. |
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