Abstract
Background
Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a threat to TB elimination strategies worldwide. From 1998 to 2016, six cases of MDR-TB were reported in Arkansas. In 2017 alone, three cases were detected. We sought to describe the characteristics of these cases to inform our MDR-TB prevention strategy in AR.
Methods
The surveillance database identified three MDR-TB cases in 2017. A detailed review was done to define the demographics, clinical presentation, and laboratory reports relating to drug susceptibility testing (DST), including molecular detection of drug resistance (MDDR). A search was done in the Genotyping database for genotype patterns of the patient isolates.
Results
All three cases were born outside the United States and developed active disease after arrival in AR. Case 1, age 52, was born in the Marshall Islands, arrived in 2016, and had a history of Type 2 diabetes. He developed MDR-TB in February 2017. Case 2, age 42, was born in Mexico, arrived over 20 years ago, and was HIV positive. He developed TB in July 2016 with a pan-sensitive organism and completed an intermittent treatment regimen. A second TB episode with matching genotype but different drug sensitivities occurred in April 2017, less than 4 months after treatment completion, and was considered treatment failure. Case 3, age 56, was born in the Philippines, arrived in 1990, and was reportedly treated for latent TB infection in 1993 with 6 months of isoniazid. She visited the Philippines April–May 2017 and developed MDR-TB in October 2017. Her isolate was in cluster with a case in Oklahoma who came from Mexico in 2006 and was admitted in an AR hospital with a pan-sensitive organism. There are no epidemiological links between the two cases; only one isolate in each case. Because both isolates were identified in AR State TB laboratory, a complex contamination has been considered with no definite resolution at this time.
Conclusion
MDR-TB, due to both primary and secondary drug resistance, remains a threat in AR. Cooperation and communication between all levels of healthcare are crucial to avoid delayed diagnosis of MDR-TB. Timely DST via technologies like GeneXpert and MDDR service at CDC is critical. Consultation from Centers of Excellence is vital in the treatment of MDR-TB complicated by diabetes and HIV. Whole-genome sequencing could provide clarity in the cluster with discordant DST patterns.
Disclosures
All authors: No reported disclosures.
Drug Resistance Pattern of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolated from Patients Attending a Referral Hospital
