Second line drugs used in TB treatment

According to the WHO the following drugs can be classified as second line drugs: aminoglycosides (kanamycin and amikacin) polypeptides (capreomycin, viomycin and enviomycin), fluoroquinolones (ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, and gatifloxacin), D-cycloserine andthionamides (ethionamide and prothionamide) (WorldHealth Organization, 2001). Unfortunately, second-linedrugs are inherently more toxic and less effective thanfirst-line drugs (World Health Organization, 2001). Secondline drugs are mostly used in the treatment of MDR-TBand as a result prolong the total treatment time from 6 to9 months (Cheng et al., 2004).
The phenotypic methods to detect resistance to second line drugs are less well established and the molecular mechanisms of resistance are also less defined. Need to read more, read Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, Current status in Rapid Laborato…