TY - JOUR AU - Loutet, Miranda AU - Davidson, Jennifer AU - Brown, Tim AU - Dedicoat, Martin AU - Thomas, H. Lucy AU - Lalor, Maeve T1 - Acquired Resistance to Antituberculosis Drugs in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, 2000–2015 T2 - Emerging Infectious Disease journal PY - 2018 VL - 24 IS - 3 SP - 524 SN - 1080-6059 AB - Among tuberculosis (TB) patients, acquired resistance to anti-TB drugs represents a failure in the treatment pathway. To improve diagnosis and care for patients with drug-resistant TB, we examined the epidemiology and risk factors associated with acquired drug resistance during 2000–2015 among TB patients in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. We found acquired resistance in 0.2% (158/67,710) of patients with culture-confirmed TB. Using multivariate logistic regression, we identified the following factors associated with acquired drug resistance: having pulmonary disease; initial resistance to isoniazid, rifampin, or both; a previous TB episode; and being born in China or South Africa. Treatment outcomes were worse for patients with than without acquired resistance. Although acquired resistance is rare in the study area, certain patient groups are at higher risk. Identifying these patients and ensuring that adequate resources are available for treatment may prevent acquisition of resistance, thereby limiting transmission of drug-resistant strains of mycobacteria. KW - tuberculosis KW - TB KW - drug resistance KW - acquired resistance KW - antimicrobial resistance KW - United Kingdom KW - England KW - Wales KW - Northern Ireland KW - tuberculosis and other mycobacteria KW - bacteria DO - 10.3201/eid2403.171362 UR - https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/24/3/17-1362_article ER - End of Reference