Abstract
Discharge of a hospital patient after a single negative sputum culture may save money when treating multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. However, after initial sputum conversion in 336 South Africans, 11.6% and 5.4% reconverted after 1 and 2 months, respectively. These findings endorse the WHO definitions of 2 negative cultures taken ≥ 30 days apart after sputum culture conversion.
MeSH terms
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Adult
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Antitubercular Agents / pharmacology
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Antitubercular Agents / therapeutic use
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Female
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Follow-Up Studies
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Humans
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Male
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Microbial Sensitivity Tests
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Middle Aged
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis* / drug effects
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis* / growth & development
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Mycobacterium tuberculosis* / isolation & purification
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Sputum / microbiology*
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Time Factors
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Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / diagnosis*
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Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / drug therapy