Role of second-line injectable antituberculosis drugs in the treatment of MDR/XDR tuberculosis.

Second-line injectable antituberculosis drugs (aminoglycosides and capreomycin) are the main drugs used in the management of resistant tuberculosis. Their preserved efficacy in the case of multi-drug-resistant bacillus is counterbalanced by frequent adverse events. Adverse events are linked to the drugs themselves and to the recommended 8-month period of parenteral administration. In numerous countries facing a high incidence of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis, treatment is administered by intramuscular injection. This procedure is painful and restrictive, and therefore treatment adherence is limited. This study reports the follow-up of 11 patients diagnosed with multi-drug- and extensively-resistant tuberculosis and treated with parenteral amikacin, and discusses the role of amikacin in the treatment of resistant tuberculosis.