Modalities to monitor the treatment response in tuberculosis

Considering the global epidemic of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, early and accurate diagnosis as well as prompt initiation of antitubercular therapy (ATT) forms the mainstay of tuberculosis control programs. Patients on ATT may develop treatment failure due to diverse reasons including emergence of drug resistance in the host during the course of therapy. Monitoring the timely response to treatment in such cases has a significant role in rapid identification of drug resistant strains and institution of change of regimen to further decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. Furthermore, availability of faster surrogate end points to assess treatment efficacy, disease activity, cure, and relapse is one of the crucial requirements for undertaking innovative clinical trials related to TB. The article presents here the compilation of currently available methods for monitoring the treatment response in pulmonary as well as extrapulmonary TB.