TEMPORAL TRENDS AND TRANSMISSION PATTERNS DURING THE EMERGENCE OF MULTIDRUG-RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS IN NEW-YORK-CITY - A MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGIC ASSESSMENT JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES Shafer, R. W., Small, P. M., Larkin, C., Singh, S. P., Kelly, P., Sierra, M. F., SCHOOLNIK, G., Chirgwin, K. D. 1995; 171 (1): 170-176

Abstract

To ascertain the role of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission on multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) emergence in New York City, medical records, drug susceptibilities, and restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of TB cases at a city hospital between two 9-month periods (1987-1988 and 1990-1991) were reviewed. The proportion of TB patients with MDRTB increased from 10% (27/267) to 17% (38/222; P = .03). Among MDRTB patients of known HIV status, the proportion with HIV increased from 16% (3/19) to 58% (22/38; P = .006). HIV-infected MDRTB patients were more likely than the seronegative ones to have initial MDRTB (88% vs. 56%; P = .03). Among 56 MDR cases with RFLP results, 12 had unique patterns; 44 belonged to one of six clusters. During 1990-1991, 27 (75%) of 36 MDRTB patients were infected with strains isolated from HIV-seronegative patients during 1987-1988. The increase in MDRTB caused by transmission from immunocompetent to immunocompromised persons underscores the urgency of TB control in populations with increasing HIV prevalence.

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