Antituberculosis-Drug Resistance

Abstract

The article “Global Surveillance for Antituberculosis-Drug Resistance, 1994–1997” by Pablos-Méndez et al. (June 4 issue)¹ is a clarion call to action by governments and health officials worldwide to combat the increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The prevalence of this disease may in fact be higher than reported, because of two limitations of the study. First, data from regions in which the disease is highly endemic, such as China and most of India, were not obtained. Second, the study included relatively few countries in Africa and none in the Middle East. Furthermore, the ongoing pandemic of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a major factor in the projected increases in the incidence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.^2-4 . . .