Anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in new and previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis cases in Burkina Faso.

SETTING

National Tuberculosis (TB) Control Centre in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance among newly diagnosed and previously treated cases.

METHODS

A total of 416 M. tuberculosis complex strains were isolated from 323 new and 93 previously treated patients under DOTS. Susceptibility to four anti-tuberculosis drugs (isoniazid [INH], rifampicin [RMP], streptomycin [SM] and ethambutol [EMB]) was determined using the proportion method. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status was determined in 316 patients, 249 new and 67 previously treated cases, with informed consent.

RESULTS

Among new cases, 12.4% of strains were resistant to any drug, and 3.4% were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Resistance rates were very high in previously treated patients: INH (66.7%), RMP (51.6%), SM (44.1%), EMB (50.5%) and MDR (INH+RMP; 50.5%). Of 316 patients tested, 28.7% were HIV-positive. There was no statistically significant association between HIV status and MDR-TB in new (P = 0.95) and previously treated patients (P = 0.5).

CONCLUSION

Drug resistance is high in Burkina Faso. Early detection of infectious patients and completion of treatment are essential.