New recommendations for the treatment of tuberculosis

Abstract

Purpose of review 

The aim of this article is to give practicing physicians a practical approach to the treatment of latent and active tuberculosis and to review newer recommendations and common problems encountered in the treatment of patients with tuberculosis.

Recent findings 

Recently published literature documents the increased incidence of multidrug resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the importance of antituberculosis drug toxicities and drug–drug interactions, persistent problems in the correct interpretation of the tuberculin skin test and ongoing problems with treatment compliance and treatment completion.

Summary 

This article provides a practical approach to the interpretation of the tuberculin skin test, the proper approach to the treatment of latent tuberculosis infection, and a structured approach to the treatment of presumed or documented active tuberculosis infection. Questions about tuberculosis that are often asked of infectious disease and pulmonary specialists are addressed in a very practical manner.