Outcome of directly observed therapy short course (DOTS) regimen in a rural community of the Nigerian Niger Delta.

Background: [corrected] The objective of this retrospective study was to evaluate the outcome of directly observed therapy short course (DOTS) application in a Nigerian rural community.

Methods: A retrospective study of all the records of DOTS at the centre from January 2001 to December 2005 was compiled and features such as: age, gender, drugs used, and outcome of treatment (defaulted, cured, died, or developed multidrug resistant-TB) were considered. Also the different personnel and infrastructure at the centre for the programme were also assessed.