The Effectiveness of Treating Tuberculosis with Multiple and Pre-extensively Drug Resistance in Adolescents Depending on the Drug Susceptibility Testing Methods

The objective: to evaluate effectiveness of treating respiratory tuberculosis with multiple and pre-extensively drug resistance in adolescents depending on the drug susceptibility testing methods. Subjects and Methods. In Group 1 consisting of new patients (16 adolescents), the pathogen was identified in the institute’s laboratory (Amplitub-MLU-RV, Amplitub-FQ-RV, BACTEC MGIT 960; DST for the full spectrum of anti-tuberculosis drugs). In Group 2 consisting of 35 adolescents admitted for repeated treatment (comparison group), the pathogen was identified at the place of residence (GeneXpert MTB/RIF), by culture on solid nutrient media. Results. In all 16 (100%) patients of Group 1, chemotherapy (CT) was prescribed taking into account the full DR spectrum according to individual regimens, the achieved outcome was assessed as “effective treatment”. In 12/35 (34.3%) patients of Group 2 with a positive sputum test, chemotherapy was prescribed with no consideration of the full DR spectrum, the outcome was “treatment failure”. A statistical relationship was established between the risk factor “chemotherapy with no consideration of the full DR spectrum” and the outcome “treatment failure” (χ²=7.174; p=0.008). The presented results prove the importance of information on the full DR spectrum in adolescents for the prescription of chemotherapy according to individual regimens.