TY - JOUR AU - Cox, Helen Suzanne AU - Orozco, Juan Daniel AU - Male, Roy AU - Ruesch-Gerdes, Sabine AU - Falzon, Dennis AU - Small, Ian AU - Doshetov, Darebay AU - Kebede, Yared AU - Aziz, Mohammed T1 - Multidrug-resistant Tuberculosis in Central Asia T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2004 VL - 10 IS - 5 SP - 865 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has emerged as a major threat to TB control, particularly in the former Soviet Union. To determine levels of drug resistance within a directly observed treatment strategy (DOTS) program supported by Médecins Sans Frontières in two regions in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, Central Asia, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of smear-positive TB patients in selected districts of Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan) and Dashoguz (Turkmenistan). High levels of MDR-TB were found in both regions. In Karakalpakstan, 14 (13%) of 106 new patients were infected with MDR-TB; 43 (40%) of 107 previously treated patients were similarly infected. The proportions for Dashoguz were 4% (4/105 patients) and 18% (18/98 patients), respectively. Overall, 27% of patients with positive smear results whose infections were treated through the DOTS program in Karakalpakstan and 11% of similar patients in Dashoguz were infected with multidrug-resistant strains of TB on admission. These results show the need for concerted action by the international community to contain transmission and reduce the effects of MDR-TB. KW - tuberculosis KW - drug resistance KW - MDR-TB KW - Central Asia KW - MSF KW - Uzbekistan KW - Turkmenistan DO - 10.3201/eid1005.030718 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/10/5/03-0718_article ER - End of Reference