[Epidemiological survey on the trend of drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in Macao during 2001 to 2005].

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the trend of anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in Macao from 2001 to 2005.

METHODS

Susceptibility tests of anti-tuberculosis drugs (SM, INH, RFP and EMB) against all M. tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates were performed in new cases and previous treated cases.

RESULTS

The total resistant rate of 1460 isolates was 16.2%; the initial drug resistant rate was 15% and the acquired drug resistant rate was 32%. The multi-drug resistant (MDR) rate was 3.2%, in which the initial and the acquired MDR rates were 2.3% and 15.5%, respectively. Any resistance to INH, SM, RFP and EMB was 11.5%, 9.5%, 3.6% and 2.5% respectively. The resistant rates to 1, 2, 3 and 4 drugs were 9.9%, 2.9%, 1.0% and 1.2% in new cases and 12.6%, 3.9%, 8.7% and 6.8% in previous treated cases. There was no significant increase in drug resistance of new cases and treated cases in last 5 recent years (chi(2) = 0.27, chi(2) = 0.03, all P > 0.05). The initial drug resistant rate did not show significant difference (chi(2) = 5.7, P > 0.05) among different sex and age groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to the previous data, the acquired drug resistant rate and the acquired MDR rate were significantly lower (chi(2) = 6.04, chi(2) = 7.47, all P < 0.05). But the initial drug resistant rate and acquired drug resistant rate were still higher than the report of No.3 of WHO/IUATLD global project on anti-tuberculosis drug resistance surveillance in 2004. More attention should be paid to the high incidence of MDR tuberculosis.