XDR tuberculosis can be cured with aggressive treatment.

摘要

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis, once thought of as a problem largely confined to Russia and eastern Europe, has emerged as a substantial threat to treatment and control programmes for tuberculosis worldwide. Between 2002 and 2006, 81 countries reported cases of MDR tuberculosis, with about 490000 cases emerging worldwide in 2006 alone. Although MDR tuberculosis can be effectively treated with second-line regimens, improvements in resistance testing have revealed what is now defined as extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis, with cases recorded in 45 countries. XDR tuberculosis, defined as MDR tuberculosis with additional resistance to the two most important second-line classes (fluoroquinolones and the second-line injectable agents), is often referred to as untreatable, and as such has provoked fear among health staff, patients, and affected communities.