Death associated with rifampin and pyrazinamide 2-month treatment of latent mycobacterium tuberculosis.

We present the case of an elderly patient who died of fulminant hepatic failure in the course of receiving 2 months of treatment with pyrazinamide and rifampin for his latent tuberculosis. This 2-month course of treatment for latent tuberculosis is one of four options recently recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We discuss the safety of using this two-drug regimen to treat latent tuberculosis in stable elderly patients.