DRUG-RESISTANCE PATTERNS OF TUBERCULOSIS IN TAIWAN

To evaluate the patterns of drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculo sis in Taiwan, a total of 1,091 isolates collected from patients from January 1996 through December 1996 were tested for drug susceptibility using the absolute concentration method at the Taiwan Provincial Chro nic Disease Control Bureau. The overall drug rate of resistance to at least one drug was 35.5%. Among the 249 isolates from patients who had never been treated for tuberculosis, 16.1% were resistant to one or m ore drugs; 1.6% were resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin. Of 200 patients with prior antituberculosis treatment, 67.0% had isolates resistant to one or more drugs and 46.0% had isolates resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin. We conclude that drug-resistant M. tube rculosis is an important issue in tuberculosis treatment in Taiwan, es pecially when dealing with patients with a prior history of antituberc ulosis treatment. More aggressive interventions, such as directly obse rved therapy, short-course, are needed to improve the cure rate of pul monary tuberculosis and to decrease resistance rates.