Increasing popularity of new drug-resistant TB strains

A new study shows that the appearance of new forms of TB can increase the rate of drug resistance worldwide. This result raises concerns that despite the fact that TB infection is declining in many places, resistance to the disease may make the tuberculosis incurable.

Australian researchers at the University of New South Wales and the University of Western Sydney have published research results on the latest issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The laboratory survey showed that antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis strains cause longer infection but lower transmission rates. Since then, scientists have questioned whether drug-resistant tuberculosis strains are more likely to survive and spread than susceptible strains. This is an important question in predicting the impact of this disease on humanity in the future.

One in three people in the picture was infected with tuberculosis. Although it is possible that the new infection was only in the initial smoldering period, the World Health Organization (vWHO) estimated that 9.27 million new cases of TB in 2007 alone. There were 1.6 million tuberculosis deaths in 2005. Drug-resistant TB was caused by inconsistent or incomplete treatment, when the patient did not take all the necessary medication regularly during the indicated time.

The research team led by Dr. Mark Tanaka, a professor at the University of New South Wales, used molecular and epidemiological data from tubercle strains taken from Cuba, Estonia and Venezuela to estimate the develop drug resistance and compare relative fertility levels of drug-resistant and drug-resistant tuberculosis strains.

'We found that the appropriate levels of drug-resistant strains are equivalent to susceptible strains,' Dr. Tanaka said.'This is particularly evident in Cuba and Estonia, the two countries are very popular with drug resistance.'

This result may reflect inconsistencies in drug treatment programs in the two countries mentioned above. In fact, Estonia is currently one of the countries with the highest rate of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR) in the world. Intermittent presence of drugs and the transmission of resistant strains allow drug-resistant strains to have more time to contact each other in an untreated host, thereby enabling them to develop ways New infections and elimination of drug-sensitive strains.

Images obtained from chest X-rays. One of the three subjects carried TB bacteria in their bodies. (Photo: © University of New South Wales)

The study also revealed that the prevalence of drug resistance through transmission is very high - up to 99% - compared to acquired resistance due to treatment failure.'Our results predict that drug-resistant tuberculosis strains will become very popular in the next few decades,' said Dr. Fabio Luciani from the University of New South Wales, who led the study. 'The results also show that limiting disease transmission is an effective way to minimize the impact of drug resistance.'

'Math and statistical methods have added a lot of value to manual data - they allow calculations to take place behind the numbers,' said study co-author Andrew Francis. Western Sydney, revealed. 'In this case, we use TB genetic samples, along with information about drug resistance, to make conclusions and breakthrough predictions compared to the previous few years.'

Information about tuberculosis

TB is an infectious disease. Similar to colds, TB is spread through the air. Only when symptoms appear, people infected with tuberculosis become infected with tuberculosis. When the sick person coughs, sneezes, talks or spits, they will spread the bacteria into the air. A person who only needs to inhale a small amount of this bacterium can become infected with TB.

If left untreated, people with active TB will infect 10 to 15 people each year. However, people infected with TB bacteria may not be sick. The immune system has the ability to stop TB bacteria and the bacteria will not work for years. When the immune system of the infected person is weakened at some point, the chance of getting sick will increase.

Until 50 years ago, humans found TB medicine.Now, resistant strains of TB have emerged and about 1.7% of cases worldwide are multi-drug resistant (MDR). In 2006, extremely strong resistant strains of XDR (XDR) began to appear. This XDR tuberculosis is not only resistant to first-line drugs but is also resistant to at least 3 drugs in the second line - the last line of defense against TB germs, which is more toxic to patients along with treatment time Expensive cost. The spread of extreme drug-resistant TB is fueled by the HIV epidemic, a weak public health care system, and neglect of infection control measures.