Tuberculosis and its Treatment: An Overview

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is a primordial infectious disease that mainly affects the lungs. M. tuberculosis (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) is the etiological agent of TB and currently more than one-third of the world population is suffering from TB. For the treatment of TB, administration of multiple antibiotics such as isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol is required for a long period of time to kill bacteria. However, antibiotic resistance is an emerging problem in multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) infections. World Health Organization (WHO) has developed a novel strategy called DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course), in which specific combination of anti-TB drugs is given to control TB. In this review article we have focused on the comprehensive management of TB and have provided the valuable information about first and second line anti-TB drugs, DOTS and novel drug delivery systems to be used against M. tuberculosis. Important aspects related to new anti-TB drugs and vaccines in various stages of clinical development are also covered in this article.

Keywords: BCG; DOTS; WHO; isoniazid; mycobacterium tuberculosis; pyrazinamide; rifampicin.