Anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in new and previously treated pulmonary tuberculosis cases in Burkina Faso.

SETTING: National Tuberculosis (TB) Control Centre in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate Mycobacterium tuberculosis drug resistance among newly diagnosed and previously treated cases.

METHODS: A total of 416 M. tuberculosis complex strains were isolated from 323 new and 93 previously treated patients under DOTS. Susceptibility to four anti-tuberculosis drugs (isoniazid [INH], rifampicin [RMP], streptomycin [SM] and ethambutol [EMB]) was determined using the proportion method. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status was determined in 316 patients, 249 new and 67 previously treated cases, with informed consent.

RESULTS: Among new cases, 12.4% of strains were resistant to any drug, and 3.4% were multidrug-resistant (MDR). Resistance rates were very high in previously treated patients: INH (66.7%), RMP (51.6%), SM (44.1%), EMB (50.5%) and MDR (INH+RMP; 50.5%). Of 316 patients tested, 28.7% were HIV-positive. There was no statistically significant association between HIV status and MDR-TB in new (P = 0.95) and previously treated patients (P = 0.5).

CONCLUSION: Drug resistance is high in Burkina Faso. Early detection of infectious patients and completion of treatment are essential.