Multiresistant tuberculosis: when should multi-resistant tuberculosis be suspected in children and adolescents?
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56294/shp2025210Keywords:
Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant[Mesh], Adolescent[Mesh], Child[Mesh], Antitubercular Agents[Mesh], "Tuberculosis/diagnosis[Mesh]Abstract
Background: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis mainly affects the respiratory system but can spread to other organs. Its resistance arises from inappropriate use of antibiotics, complicating treatment. Its control depends on rapid diagnoses and solid health programs, especially in young people, where conditions such as HIV worsen the prognosis. Material and methods: A systematic review of bibliography published in scientific journals was carried out with the aim of compiling all the evidence available to date in order to answer the question posed. When to suspect MR TB in children and adolescents? Results: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in children presents significant diagnostic and clinical challenges. The studies reviewed highlight risk factors such as history of treatment and contact with resistant TB. Tools such as GeneXpert and MTBDRplus facilitate rapid diagnosis, and preventive therapy with isoniazid could reduce progression to active TB in close contacts. Conclusion: Taken together, the findings underscore the importance of combining advanced diagnostic methods, a comprehensive assessment of the epidemiological context, and additional support strategies to address the challenges of MDR-TB in children and adolescents. This combination of approaches can guide clinical decision making and strengthen capacity to effectively identify and treat youth at risk for MDR-TB.
References
1. Alvis-Zakzuk NJ, Carrasquilla MD los Á, Gómez VJ, Robledo J, Alvis-Guzmán NR, Hernández JM. Diagnostic accuracy of three technologies for the diagnosis of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Biomédica. 1 de septiembre de 2017;37(3):397.
2. González DRC, Suárez DGA, Roberto D, Peña M, Vargas R. Comportamiento de la tuberculosis en adolescentes de 15 a 18 años. Rev Cuba Pediatría. :9.
3. Zabaleta A, Llerena C. Serie de casos: tuberculosis extremadamente resistente a drogas en Colombia, 2006-2016. Biomédica. 1 de diciembre de 2019;39(4):707-14.
4. Snow KJ, Nelson LJ, Sismanidis C, Sawyer SM, Graham SM. Incidence and prevalence of bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis among adolescents and young adults: a systematic review. Epidemiol Infect. junio de 2018;146(8):946-53.
5. Snow KJ, Cruz AT, Seddon JA, Ferrand RA, Chiang SS, Hughes JA, et al. Adolescent tuberculosis. Lancet Child Adolesc Health. enero de 2020;4(1):68-79.
6. Beltrame LS. enfermedades infecciosas | tuberculosis. :70.
7. Feng Y, Liu S, Wang Q, Wang L, Tang S, Wang J, et al. Rapid Diagnosis of Drug Resistance to Fluoroquinolones, Amikacin, Capreomycin, Kanamycin and Ethambutol Using Genotype MTBDRsl Assay: A Meta-Analysis. Mokrousov I, editor. PLoS ONE. 1 de febrero de 2013;8(2):e55292.
8. Palmero DJ, Lagrutta L, Inwentarz SJ, Vescovo M, Aidar OJ, Montaner PJG. TRATAMIENTO DE LA TUBERCULOSIS DROGORRESISTENTE EN ADULTOS Y NIÑOS. REVISIÓN NARRATIVA. 2022;13.
9. Palmero DJ, Laniado Laborín R, Caminero Luna JA. Guías latinoamericanas de diagnóstico y tratamiento de la tuberculosis farmacorresistente. Arch Bronconeumol. octubre de 2008;44(10):578.
10. Vigo A, Solari L, Santos D, Puyén ZM. Mutaciones que confieren resistencia a fármacos antituberculosis de primera línea en Perú: una revisión sistemática de la literatura. Rev Peru Med Exp Salud Pública. 6 de diciembre de 2019;36(4):636-45.
11. Kaur R, Kachroo K, Sharma J, Vatturi S, Dang A. Diagnostic accuracy of xpert test in tuberculosis detection: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Glob Infect Dis. 2016;8(1):32.
12. Liu Q, Abba K, Alejandria M, Balanag V, Berba R, Lansang M. Reminder systems and late patient tracers in the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis. En: The Cochrane Collaboration, editor. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews [Internet]. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd; 2007 https://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/14651858.CD006594
13. Pillay S, Davies GR, Chaplin M, De Vos M, Schumacher SG, Warren R, et al. Xpert MTB/XDR for detection of pulmonary tuberculosis and resistance to isoniazid, fluoroquinolones, ethionamide, and amikacin. Cochrane Database Syst Rev [Internet]
14. Zuhriyyah SA, Nugraha HG, Setiabudi D, Santoso P, Nataprawira HM. Chest X-Ray Comparison Between Drug-Resistant and Drug-Sensitive Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Children. Clin Respir J. 2024 Sep;18(9):e70010. doi: 10.1111/crj.70010. PMID: 39319395; PMCID: PMC11422713.
15. Moore BK, Anyalechi E, van der Walt M, Smith S, Erasmus L, Lancaster J, Morris S, Ndjeka N, Ershova J, Ismail N, Burton D, Menzies H. Epidemiology of drug-resistant tuberculosis among children and adolescents in South Africa, 2005-2010. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2015 Jun;19(6):663-9. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.14.0879. PMID: 25946356; PMCID: PMC4886335.
16. Mekonnen F, Tessema B, Moges F, Gelaw A, Eshetie S, Kumera G. Multidrug resistant tuberculosis: prevalence and risk factors in districts of metema and west armachiho, Northwest Ethiopia. BMC Infect Dis. 2015 Oct 26;15:461. doi: 10.1186/s12879-015-1202-7. PMID: 26503269; PMCID: PMC4624367.
17. Pandey P, Pant ND, Rijal KR, Shrestha B, Kattel S, Banjara MR, Maharjan B, Kc R. Diagnostic Accuracy of GeneXpert MTB/RIF Assay in Comparison to Conventional Drug Susceptibility Testing Method for the Diagnosis of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis. PLoS One. 2017 Jan 12;12(1):e0169798. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169798. PMID: 28081227; PMCID: PMC5231346.
18. Brandao AP, Pinhata JMW, Oliveira RS, Galesi VMN, Caiaffa-Filho HH, Ferrazoli L. Speeding up the diagnosis of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in a high-burden region with the use of a commercial line probe assay. J Bras Pneumol. 2019 Apr 18;45(2):e20180128. doi: 10.1590/1806-3713/e20180128. PMID: 31017225; PMCID: PMC6733744.
19. Harausz EP, Garcia-Prats AJ, Law S, Schaaf HS, Kredo T, Seddon JA, Menzies D, Turkova A, Achar J, Amanullah F, et al. Treatment and outcomes in children with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis. PLoS Med. 2018 Jul 11;15(7):e1002591. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002591. PMID: 29995958; PMCID: PMC6040687.
20. Huang CC, Becerra MC, Calderon R, Contreras C, Galea J, Grandjean L, et al. Isoniazid Preventive Therapy in Contacts of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2020 Oct 15;202(8):1159-68. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201908-1576OC. PMID: 32551948; PMCID: PMC7560814.
21. Catanzaro A, Rodwell TC, Catanzaro DG, Garfein RS, Jackson RL, Seifert M, et al. Performance Comparison of Three Rapid Tests for the Diagnosis of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis. PLoS One. 2015 Aug 31;10(8): e0136861. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136861. PMID: 26322781; PMCID: PMC4556461.
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Bonanno Mariano Guillermo (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The article is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Unless otherwise stated, associated published material is distributed under the same licence.