Second-line drug susceptibilities of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis strains isolated in Thailand: an update.

The increasing incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and the emergence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) globally hamper the successful treatment and effective control of TB. Information on second-line drug susceptibility, which is of utmost importance for patient care, is still limited. This study demonstrates the susceptibilities of 1447 strains of MDR-TB, including 58 XDR-TB strains, isolated from Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, to aminoglycosides, fluoroquinolones, ethionamide (ETH), para-aminosalicylic acid (PAS) and linezolid. Results revealed that 93-94% of the MDR-TB strains were susceptible to aminoglycosides, 85-98% to fluoroquinolones, 78% to ETH, 85% to PAS and 99% to linezolid.