Professor Dr. Md. Abdul Khalique Barbhuiya
Editor-in-Chief
North East Medical Journal
Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is prevalent throughout the world, which is caused by bacteria; usually affects the lungs, but can also affect other parts of the body (brain, kidneys, intestine, skin and bone), which is treatable and curable. But, it is difficult to treat the Drug Resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB). DR-TB means tubercle bacilli become resistant to the common anti-tubercular drugs which are used to treat TB. That is drug can no longer kill the TB bacteria. Multidrug-Resistant TB (MDR-TB also known as Vank’s disease)2 means TB bacteria is resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most potent Tubercular drugs. These drugs are used to treat all TB cases. Extensively Drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) is a rare type of MDR-TB that is resistant to isoniazid and rifampicine, plus any fluoroquinolone and at least one of the injectable second-line TB drugs (i.e., amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin). As XDR-TB is resistant to the most potent TB drugs, those patients has only option of treatment with less effective TB drugs.1
