Clinical Isolates Of Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis Research Articles

Drug resistance-related mutations in multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from diverse geographical regions

BackgroundDrug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is associated with chromosomal mutations in selected genes. These mutations can be screened for an early warning system for drug-resistant tuberculosis. The prevalence of individual mutations differs geographically, which must be considered in developing globally applicable screening tests. MethodsIn order to analyse the geographical distribution and frequency of mutations conferring resistance to rifampicin, isoniazid and fluoroquinolones, the researchers investigated the presence of mutations in the rpoB gene, the katG gene, the mabA-inhA promoter region and the gyrA gene in clinical isolates of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) from Belarus, China, Iran/Iraq, Honduras, Romania and Uganda. For each study site, the researchers described the distribution of specific mutations in 20 clinical MDR-isolates. ResultsThe distribution of resistance-related mutations varied significantly between the study sites. Settings with a high incidence of MDR-TB, such as Belarus, showed a narrower spectrum of mutations related to rifampicin and isoniazid resistance and also a higher prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance than study sites with a lower MDR-TB prevalence. ConclusionThis study confirms that there are significant geographical differences in the distribution of resistance-related mutations and suggests that an increased understanding of such differences in the specific distribution of resistance conferring mutations is crucial for development of new, generally applicable, molecular tools for rapid diagnosis of drug-resistant TB. The fact that a narrower distribution of mutations in high MDR-TB prevalence settings was seen suggests that much of the problems in these settings can be a result of an ongoing transmission of certain MDR-TB strains.

The potential role of garlic (Allium sativum) against the multi-drug resistant tuberculosis pandemic: a review.

Worldly data show the increasing incidence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and particularly of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). In developing countries, TB control programmes are overwhelmed by the complexity of treating MDR-TB infected people, as current tools and therapies are inadequate. MDR-TB could become the main form of TB. Risk factors that make South Africa into one of the main epicentres are analysed. A review of the studies carried out about antitubercular properties of Allium sativum both in vitro and in vivo is provided. The researches about the garlic extracts effectiveness against clinical isolates of MDR-TB are of scientific importance. Allium sativum offers a hope for developing alternative drugs. The involvement of traditional healers (TH) in the TB health management could facilitate the administration of garlic extracts to the infected patients.