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Drug-resistant tuberculosis in Egyptian children using Etest
Minerva Pediatrica
|October 31, 2008
Summary
The Etest is an effective method for detecting drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) in children. This study found a 24.7% drug resistance rate in Egyptian children with tuberculosis (TB).
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in pediatric populations.
- Accurate and rapid susceptibility testing is crucial for effective TB treatment and control.
- Drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) complicates treatment regimens and impacts patient outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of drug-resistant MT in newly diagnosed Egyptian children with TB.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the Etest as a method for detecting drug-resistant MT in this population.
- To compare Etest results with the standard proportion method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study involving 150 newly diagnosed pediatric TB patients.
- Isolation and identification of MT from patient samples.
- Antimicrobial susceptibility testing using both the proportion method (Lowenstein-Jensen medium) and Etest for first- and second-line drugs.
- Determination of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) using Etest.
Main Results:
- The overall drug resistance rate of MT in the study population was 24.7%.
- Prevalence of resistance to first-line drugs: isoniazid (5.4%), rifampicin (2.7%), streptomycin (6.8%), ethambutol (1.4%).
- Multidrug resistance (MDR) prevalence was 2.7%; resistance to second-line drugs (amikacin, ciprofloxacin) was also observed.
- Etest demonstrated high overall agreement (94.5-100%) with the reference method, with 97.89% specificity and 81.8% sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- Etest is a reliable and accurate alternative method for antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in pediatric cases.
- The findings highlight the importance of susceptibility testing in guiding treatment for drug-resistant TB in children.
- Etest facilitates rapid detection of drug resistance, aiding in timely therapeutic interventions.
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