The Chemistry and Pharmacology of Antibiotics Used in the Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis

Abstract Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major health threat worldwide, with more than 1 million people dying every year from the disease. Over the years, several antibiotics cocktails have been successfully used in the treatment of tuberculosis. However, some strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogen have become more resistant to first-line antibiotics. This multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) strains are largely untreatable using the highly potent first-line antituberculosis drugs (rifampicin and isoniazid). Consequently, the prevalence of MDR-TB has been identified as the cause of the highest mortality rates, and their emergence has made the control of the disease more difficult. Nevertheless, research has been done to study the efficacy of combination of antituberculosis drugs in the treatment of MDR-TB.