New recommendations for the treatment of tuberculosis.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The aim of this article is to give practicing physicians a practical approach to the treatment of latent and active tuberculosis and to review newer recommendations and common problems encountered in the treatment of patients with tuberculosis.

RECENT FINDINGS: Recently published literature documents the increased incidence of multidrug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the importance of antituberculosis drug toxicities and drug-drug interactions, persistent problems in the correct interpretation of the tuberculin skin test and ongoing problems with treatment compliance and treatment completion.

SUMMARY: This article provides a practical approach to the interpretation of the tuberculin skin test, the proper approach to the treatment of latent tuberculosis infection, and a structured approach to the treatment of presumed or documented active tuberculosis infection. Questions about tuberculosis that are often asked of infectious disease and pulmonary specialists are addressed in a very practical manner.