Emerging Infectious Diseases (Feb 2001)

Hospital Control and Multidrug-Resistant Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Female Patients, Lima, Peru

  • Field F. Willingham,
  • Tracy L. Schmitz,
  • Macbeth Contreras,
  • Sheela E. Kalangi,
  • Aldo M. Vivar,
  • Luz Caviedes,
  • Eduardo Schiantarelli,
  • Paola Maurtua Neumann,
  • Caryn Bern,
  • Robert H. Gilman

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3201/eid0701.070123
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 7, no. 1
pp. 123 – 127

Abstract

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We examined the prevalence of tuberculosis (TB), rate of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, and characteristics of TB on a female general medicine ward in Peru. Of 250 patients, 40 (16%) were positive by sputum culture and 27 (11%) by smear, and 8 (3%) had MDRTB. Thirteen (33%) of 40 culture-positive patients had not been suspected of having TB on admission. Six (46%) of 13 patients whose TB was unsuspected on admission had MDRTB, compared with 2 (7%) of 27 suspected cases (p=0.009). Five (63%) of 8 MDRTB patients were smear positive and therefore highly infective. In developing countries, hospital control, a simple method of reducing the spread of MDRTB, is neglected.

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