A new study supports the use of directly observed therapy to treat dangerous TB infections. 

An examination of surveillance data for cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) reported to the CDC from 1993 to 2013 showed that DOT increased from 74% during 1993-2002 to 95% during 2002-2013, while all-cause mortality decreased from 31% to 11% during these periods, reported Jorge Salinas, MD, of the CDC division of tuberculosis elimination in Atlanta, and colleagues.

The analysis confirmed that DOT is an effective strategy for reducing deaths from MDR-TB in the US, the authors stated in a presentation at the American Thoracic Society meeting.

“Directly observed therapy is already recommended to treat all forms of TB, but it’s valuable to have this data on the effectiveness among patients with MDR-TB,” Salinas noted in a written press statement.

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