XDR TB, Pakistan | CDC EID

EID Journal Home > Volume 16, Number 9–September 2010

Volume 16, Number 9–September 2010
Dispatch
Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis, Pakistan
Rumina Hasan, Kauser Jabeen, Asho Ali, Yasraba Rafiq, Rabia Laiq, Babar Malik, Mahnaz Tanveer, Ramona Groenheit, Solomon Ghebremichael, Sven Hoffner, and Zahra Hasan
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Abstract
Frequency of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Pakistan increased from 1.5% in 2006 to 4.5% in 2009 (p<0.01). To understand the epidemiology, we genotyped selected strains by using spoligotyping, mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units–variable number of tandem repeats, and IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.
Emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) are facilitated by inadequate detection and treatment (1). TB detection and treatment are more difficult in countries, like Pakistan, that are facing complex emergencies, including humanitarian crises and conflicts (2). Published data report an increasing prevalence of MDR TB and emergence of XDR TB strains in Pakistan (3).

This study documents an increasing trend of XDR resistance within MDR TB isolates in Pakistan. To obtain better insight into the epidemiology of these strains, we genotyped selected XDR TB strains by using spoligotyping, mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units–variable number of tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR), and IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. This study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of the Aga Khan University and conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.

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XDR TB, Pakistan | CDC EID