Characterization of the etiological agents of tuberculous lymphadenitis in Dera Woreda, North Showa, Ethiopia.

Background: Tuberculous lymphadenitis (TBLN) is a common form of extra pulmonary tuberculosis where lymph nodes particularly from cervical, axillary and inguinal sites are mostly involved, however, its diagnosis poses a major challenge in resource limited settings.

Objective: To identify the etiological species of Mycobacteria responsible for TBLN in Derra area, a rural district in Ethiopia, where the status of TBLN is unknown.

Materials And Methods: A total of 153 patients who were clinically suspected for TBLN, between the periods of August 2004 and February 2005 were included in the study.

Primary drug resistance in newly diagnosed smear positive tuberculosis patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Background: Drug resistance monitoring is an important aspect of tuberculosis (TB) control.

Objective: To determine the sensitivity of mycobacterial isolates from newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients to first line anti-TB drugs in Addis Ababa.

Methods: A survey on primary anti-tuberculosis drug resistance was conducted on smear positive pulmonary TB patients visiting 19 health centers and 3 hospitals in Addis Ababa from September 2004 to December 2005.