Initial resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Northern Nigeria

Of 61 isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis form patients in northernn Nigeria denying any previous treatment for tuberculosis 7 (11.5 per cent) yielded resistant cultures. Four (6.6 per cent) were resistant to isoniazid, 2 (3.3 per cent) to PAS (1 also to thiacetazone), and 1 (1.6 per cent) to streptomycin. No mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis were isolated from these patients. These results suggest that the level of initial drug resistance in northernn Nigeria may be lower than that found in other African countries.