Primary drug resistance in a region with high burden of tuberculosis. A critical problem

OBJECTIVE: To determine rates of drug resistance in new cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in a region with a high burden of the disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: New case suspects were referred for drug susceptibility testing. RESULTS: 28.9% of new cases were resistant to at least one first line drug; 3.9% had a multidrug-resistant strain, 15.6% a monoresistant strain and 9.4% a polyresistant strain. CONCLUSION: Our rate of drug resistant tuberculosis in new cases is very high; this has important clinical implications, since even monoresistance can have a negative impact on the outcome of new cases treated empirically with a six month regimen.