Big step forward in how to treat Tb
A BREAKTHROUGH in the use of antibiotics to prevent tuberculosis will transform treatment of the disease, a University of Otago academic says.
New research that came out last week showed the time it took to drastically reduce the risk of infected people developing Tb could be more than halved with the use of a different antibiotic.
The study recruited individuals from Canada, Indonesia, Guinea, Benin, Brazil, Australia, Korea, Saudi Arabia and Ghana who showed signs of infection but had not developed the disease.
It was led by Dick Menzies, of McGill University in Canada, and involved McAuley professor of international health at Otago Philip Hill.
Prof Hill’s team worked with collaborators in West Java, Indonesia to enrol and follow up 1000 of the 6900 study participants.
Results showed a fourmonth daily regimen of antibiotic rifampicin in both adults and children was as effective as a ninemonth daily regimen of another antibiotic, isoniazid.
No test was developed to see whether or not the study subjects were no longer infected, the study comparing the rates of infection in people using both medications.
‘‘It’s going to change procedure across the world,’’ he said.
Using rifampicin also avoided the side effects of the traditional isoniazid treatment, such as potentially developing hepatitis, and people were also more likely to complete the course of treatment when they took rifampicin.
However, given onequarter of the world was infected with Tb, even a fourmonth course of treatment was not ideal, he said.
In the future, ideally, treatment would take the form of either a one or twoweek course of antibiotics, or a slowrelease injection.
‘‘That’s where we’re going with this in the longer term.’’
Earlier this year, Prof Hill received a $250,000 grant from the Health Research Council to further investigate tuberculosis among Maori in New Zealand, which he is carrying out with the help of the Waikato District Health Board.
He hoped to include 200 prisoners from the Spring Hill Corrections Facility in the study, and was in the process of seeking approval from the Department of Corrections.