Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is a drug-resistant form of tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the organism identified in the provided sources as the cause of TB [1]. The phenotype is defined in the sources by resistance linked to mutations in the rpoB and katG genes, which confer resistance to rifampicin and isoniazid, respectively [1]. The literature provided emphasizes MDR-TB as one of the most common forms of drug-resistant TB [1].
Disease Profile
BacterialMultidrug-resistant tuberculosis
多重耐药结核病
Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a form of tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis that is resistant to rifampicin and isoniazid, two of the most effective anti-tuberculosis drugs [1][2]. It is a major public-health concern in many countries and has been reported to be increasing over the past decade [2]. Source-backed detail on many operational features, including prevention-specific measures beyond exposure control, is not yet available in the provided material [1][2].
The provided sources describe MDR-TB primarily as a serious infectious disease with less favourable outcomes than drug-susceptible tuberculosis [2]. Treatment is described as prolonged, with a duration of 9–24 months, indicating a substantial disease-management burden [2]. The review literature also notes that delayed recognition of MDR-TB can occur when culture-based testing is slow, which may delay treatment and potentially increase incidence [1]. Beyond these outcome and management features, source-backed detail on symptom pattern, complications, or case course is not yet available [1][2].
MDR-TB is characterized in the sources as a major public health concern in many countries and as a contributor to global mortality through its parent disease tuberculosis [1][2]. One review states that, globally, 4.6% of patients with tuberculosis have MDR-TB [2]. The same source reports that in some settings, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Ukraine, the proportion exceeds 25% [2]. A meta-analysis further indicates that HIV infection is associated with higher odds of MDR-TB, with pooled odds 1.42 times higher in HIV-positive than HIV-negative patients, although the authors note heterogeneity and inconsistent findings across studies [3].
The provided material does not give a direct transmission pathway specific to MDR-TB; it only identifies the disease as tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and discusses drug resistance emerging after inappropriate or ineffectual treatment [1]. The sources also indicate that slow culture-based confirmation can delay treatment, which may contribute to ongoing burden, but they do not explicitly describe person-to-person spread or other exposure mechanisms [1]. Source-backed detail on route of transmission is therefore not yet available in the supplied snippets [1][2].
The provided evidence identifies HIV-positive patients as a group with higher odds of MDR-TB in pooled analysis, although the association is described as inconsistent across studies [3]. Beyond this, the sources do not specify other high-risk populations in a way that can be stated conservatively from the supplied text [1][2]. Source-backed detail on age-specific, occupational, household, or other risk groups is not yet available [3][2].
The sources emphasize rapid and precise detection as a public-health priority for reducing morbidity and mortality, and they note that molecular techniques are a highly sensitive and specific alternative to culture for identifying MDR-TB [1]. They also state that individualized treatment guided by genotypic and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing can improve outcomes, and that some clinical trials are evaluating shorter 6-month regimens [2]. However, detailed prevention measures such as vaccination policy, contact management, or specific exposure-control interventions are not described in the provided material [1][2].
For surveillance purposes, MDR-TB should be read as a resistance-defined subset of tuberculosis rather than a separate organism or syndrome [1][2]. The sources support using molecular and susceptibility-based methods for timely identification, while noting that culture remains the gold standard but is slow [1][2]. The epidemiologic signal is important both globally and in high-burden settings, including areas where the proportion of TB cases with MDR-TB exceeds 25% [2]. Source-backed detail on case definitions for routine monitoring, reporting intervals, or programmatic thresholds is not yet available in the supplied snippets [1][2].
- 1 Wulandari DA et al. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Clin Chim Acta. 2024 Jun 1. PMID: 38697459. doi: 10.1016/j.cca.2024.119701. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38697459/
- 2 Lange C et al. Management of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Lancet. 2019 Sep 14. PMID: 31526739. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31882-3. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31526739/
- 3 Sultana ZZ et al. HIV infection and multidrug resistant tuberculosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Infect Dis. 2021 Jan 11. PMID: 33430786. doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-05749-2. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33430786/
- 4 Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. BMC Infectious Diseases. 2008. doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-8-10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2334-8-10
- 5 Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis. Medical Clinics of North America. 2013. doi: 10.1016/j.mcna.2013.03.012. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2013.03.012
- 6 Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis. New England Journal of Medicine. 1996. doi: 10.1056/nejm199601253340413. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/nejm199601253340413
- A15-A19
- 1B10
Dataset Archive
Supplementary Data | Multi-country disease dataset
Machine-readable multi-country disease dataset (JSON/CSV) with source metadata.
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