Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Togo: first reported cases and implications for tuberculosis control.

OBJECTIVES: The increasing burden of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) undermines global TB control efforts.

METHODS: This was a case series study conducted from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2024, in the Department of Pulmonology at Sylvanus Olympio University Teaching Hospital.

RESULTS: We report a series of three cases. Case 1: A 30-year-old man with a history of contact with an XDR-TB case was treated with a 20-month regimen. Culture conversion was achieved at the 3month of treatment. A complication in the form of pyopneumothorax occurred during the 6month of therapy. Case 2: A 51-year-old patient with no significant medical history was diagnosed with XDR-TB after 4 months of treatment for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). Conversion of follow-up cultures was achieved 2 months after modification of the treatment regimen. Case 3: A 62-year-old woman living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), previously treated for MDR-TB, developed XDR-TB during the course of treatment. The patient died on the 29th day of XDR-TB treatment.

CONCLUSIONS: XDR-TB is a curable disease. Early and accurate diagnosis allows for better selection of the most appropriate treatment strategy.