| dc.description.abstract | Tuberculosis (TB) disease is a disease in humans
caused by mycobacteria tuberculosis complex which
comprises eight distinct but closely related organisms
– M. bovis, M. caprae, M. africanum, M. microti, M.
pinnipedii, M. mungi, M. orygis and M. canetti1. The
most common and important agent of human disease
is M. tuberculosis. The disease is spread from person to
person through air. It affects the lungs and other parts
of the body such as the brain, kidneys or spine. TB is
treatable and curable. However, if not properly treated,
persons with TB can die or suffer co-morbid conditions
that grossly impair their economic productivity. The
bacteria that causes TB can become more resistant to
treatment when not properly managed, leading to drugresistant TB (DR-TB). Resistance leads to; (1) Multidrugresistant TB (MDR-TB) or (2) extensively drug resistant
TB (XDR-TB). MDR-TB is caused by TB bacteria that are
resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin, which are the
two most potent TB drugs while extensively drug resistant
TB (XDR-TB) is a rare type of MDR-TB that is resistant
to isoniazid and rifampin, plus any fluoroquinolone and
at least one of the three injectable second-line drugs
(amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin)2,3. | en_US |
