The dynamics of tuberculosis in response to 10 years of intensive control effort in Peru.

Improved tuberculosis (TB) case detection and cure rates are expected to accelerate the decline in incidence of TB and to reduce TB-associated deaths. Time series analyses of case reports in Peru showed that the per capita TB incidence rate was probably steady before 1991. Case reports increased between 1990 and 1992 as a result of improved case detection. Although diagnostic efforts have continued to increase since 1993, the incidence of new pulmonary TB cases has declined in every department of the country, with a national rate of decline > or =5.8% per year (range, 1.9%-9.7%). This elevated rate of decline suggests that 27% (19%-34%) of cases (158,000) and 70% (63%-77%) of deaths (91,000) among smear-positive patients were averted between 1991 and 2000. This is the first demonstration that a significant number of TB cases can be prevented through intensive short-course chemotherapy in a high-burden country.

Standard short-course chemotherapy for drug-resistant tuberculosis: treatment outcomes in 6 countries.

CONTEXT: No large-scale study has investigated the impact of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) on the outcome of standard short-course chemotherapy under routine countrywide TB control program conditions in the World Health Organization's (WHO) directly observed treatment short-course strategy for TB control. OBJECTIVE: To assess the results of treatment with first-line drugs for patients enrolled in the WHO and the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease's global project on drug-resistance surveillance. DESIGN AND SETTING: Retrospective cohort study of patients with TB in the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (People's Republic of China), Italy, Ivanovo Oblast (Russian Federation), the Republic of Korea, and Peru. PATIENTS: New and retreatment TB cases who received short-course chemotherapy with isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide, and either ethambutol or streptomycin between 1994 and 1996. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Treatment response according to WHO treatment outcome categories (cured; died; completed, defaulted, or failed treatment; or transferred). RESULTS: Of the 6402 culture-positive TB cases evaluated, 5526 (86%) were new cases and 876 (14%) were retreatment cases. A total of 1148 (20.8%) new cases and 390 (44.5%) retreatment cases were drug resistant, including 184 and 169 cases of multidrug-resistant TB, respectively. Of the new cases 4585 (83%) were treated successfully, 138 (2%) died, and 151 (3%) experienced short-course chemotherapy failure. Overall, treatment failure (relative risk [RR], 15.4; 95% confidence interval [CI], 10.6-22.4; P<.001) and mortality (RR, 3.73; 95% CI, 2.13-6.53; P<.001) were higher among new multidrug-resistant TB cases than among new susceptible cases. Even in settings using 100% direct observation, cases with multidrug resistance had a significantly higher failure rate than those who were susceptible (9/94 [10%] vs 8/1410 [0.7%]; RR, 16.9; 95% CI, 6.6-42.7; P<.001). Treatment failure was also higher among patients with any rifampicin resistance (n=115) other than multidrug resistance (RR, 5.48; 95% CI, 3.04-9.87; P<.001), any isoniazid resistance (n=457) other than multidrug resistance (RR, 3. 06; 95% CI, 1.85-5.05; P<.001), and among patients with TB resistant to rifampicin only (n=76) (RR, 5.47; 95% CI, 2.68-11.2; P<.001). Of the retreatment cases, 497 (57%) were treated successfully, 51 (6%) died, and 124 (14%) failed short-course chemotherapy treatment. Failure rates among retreatment cases were higher in those with multidrug-resistant TB, with any isoniazid resistance other than multidrug resistance, and in cases with TB resistant to isoniazid only. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that standard short-course chemotherapy, based on first-line drugs, is an inadequate treatment for some patients with drug-resistant TB. Although the directly observed treatment short-course strategy is the basis of good TB control, the strategy should be modified in some settings to identify drug-resistant cases sooner, and to make use of second-line drugs in appropriate treatment regimens. JAMA. 2000;283:2537-2545

Meningoencefalitis bacteriana en pediatría / Bacterial meningoencephalitis in pediatrics

La menigoencefalitis bacteriana es una patología que ha aumentado su incidencia en los últimos años. Se ha realizado un estudio prospectivo, previa elaboración de un protocolo para determinar la incidencia de esta patología, germen causal, clínica tratamiento, secuelas y mortalidad. En el Servicio de Pediatría del Hospital Central SSFP, durante el período de 1985-1988 se hospitalizaron 3604 pacientes, de los cuales 670 (18.5%) correspondieron a la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Pediátricos, diagnosticándose dentro del segundo grupo 20 casos de meningoencefalitis bacteriana, lo que equivalen al 2.9% de los pacientes intensivos. De los 20 casos analizados, se aislaron ocho de Neisseria meningitidis seis casos con Heamophyllus influenzae, uno con E. coli y en cinco no se aisló germen causal. En el grupo estudiado: 16 pacientes fueron de sexo masculino, 4 de sexo femenino. El grupo etario más afectado fue el de lactantes (40%). Entre los síntomas y signos comunes estuvieron: fiebre, vómitos, irritebilidad y signos meníngeos. El tratamiento antibiótico fue doble y la mortalidad alcanzó el 15% de los casos estudiados. Se enfatiza la necesidad de un diagnóstico etiológico rápido y el inicio de un tratamiento adecuado y oportuno para evitar secuelas posteriores y disminuir la mortalidad por esta patología