Compliance tuberculosis therapy

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis generally results from inadequate therapy or lack of compliance with therapy. A strain of mycobacteria is called resistant when it is insensitive to one of the first-line drugs. It is called multiresistant when it is insensitive to both isoniazid and rifampicin. In this case other antituberculosis drugs may also be ineffective (35). In practice, at least two second-line antituberculosis drugs, selected on the basis of individual drug susceptibility, are given in combination with a fluoroquinolone (36). 

Use of PAS has diminished over the years following the introduction of more effective drugs, such as rifampin and ethambutol. At present, therapy with PAS is limited to the treatment of MDR tuberculosis. Problems with primary resistance, poor compliance due to GI intolerance, and lupuslike reactions have further discouraged its use. 

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