Drug-resistant TB Archives - UCT Lung Institute

11th February 2025

Tuberculosis Drug Resistance: The Alarming Surge of Bedaquiline Resistance in South Africa

Prof Keertan Dheda, Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Cape Town and Professor of Mycobacteriology and Global Health at LSHTM, is a world leader in the field of TB diagnosis and transmission. In this interview with Dr Richard Wall, he discusses the impending threat of bedaquiline-resistant TB in South Africa and the steps required to minimise its spread.

18th December 2023

A Big Misconception About the World’s Greatest Infectious Killer

Growing up in India, which for decades has clocked millions of tuberculosis cases each year, Lalita Ramakrishnan was intimately familiar with how devastating the disease can be. The world’s greatest infectious killer, rivaled only by SARS-CoV-2, Mycobacterium tuberculosis spreads through the air and infiltrates the airways, in many cases destroying the lungs.

28th November 2023

In-depth: SA’s remarkable TB clinical trial capacity

One reason why so much TB and HIV research can be done in South Africa is quite simply that we have large epidemics of both diseases here. Around 13% of South Africa’s population are living with HIV.

19th October 2023

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB)

Together with Prof. Dr. Keertan Dheda from the University of Cape Town, clinical scientists from the Research Center Borstel are investigating the impact of tNGS technology on the treatment outcomes of patients with MDR-TB in a clinical trial in South Africa.

28th February 2023

Assessing Pretomanid for Tuberculosis (APT)

The paper discussed in today's episode: Assessing Pretomanid for Tuberculosis (APT), a Randomized Phase 2 Trial of Pretomanid-containing Regimens for Drug-sensitive TB: 12-Week Results

3rd November 2022

Actively seek out TB cases instead of waiting at clinics, urges expert

A South African public health expert has called on authorities to increase efforts to find tuberculosis (TB) cases instead of waiting for patients to arrive at clinics when they are already at risk of dying. Sipokazi Fokazi from Times Live reports.

27th September 2022

TUBERCULOSIS
A practical guide to diagnosis
and management of latent and active TB

5th September 2022

New TB Regimen

TB experts elated as new drug cocktail cuts therapy and reduces side effects Drug-resistant TB remains a public health threat in SA with a cure rate of just more than 50% for MDR and 27% for XDR.

24th March 2022

Study shows the benefits of a novel, short and all-oral treatment for multidrug-resistant TB

A recently published study by academics from the University of Cape Town (UCT) has signaled a paradigm shift in the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis

12th July 2018

Unit set up to probe antibiotic resistance especially to TB

A NEW unit has been established at UCT to probe the ramifications of antibiotic resistance. A first for South Africa, the unit aims to address the […]

25th March 2017

Drug-resistant Tuberculosis threatens decades of progress, doctors warn

The rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) threatens to derail decades of progress in the fight against the disease, experts warn in a new report published in […]

25th March 2017

Report: Global increase in drug-resistant TB threatens to ruin efforts to eradicate the disease

New antibiotics are becoming available for the first time but without accurate diagnostics, clear treatment guidelines, and improved control efforts, their effectiveness could be rapidly lost […]

24th March 2017

Global rise of multidrug resistant tuberculosis threatens to derail decades of progress

New antibiotics are becoming available for the first time but without accurate diagnostics, clear treatment guidelines, and improved control efforts, their effectiveness could be rapidly lost […]

24th March 2017

South Africa: Latest Transmission Patterns for drug Resistant TB Pose New Challenge

Analysis By Keertan Dheda, University of Cape Town The emergence of drug resistant tuberculosis has resulted in scientists taking a more aggressive and urgent approach to […]

24th March 2017

Lancet Respiratory Medicine Podcast: Drug resistant tuberculosis

Lancet Respiratory Medicine Podcast, Aaron van Dorn interviews Stephen Gillespie on Drug resistant tuberculosis

23rd March 2017

Rise of multidrug resistant TB ‘threatens to derail decades of progress’

Tuberculosis is becoming increasingly resistant to drugs worldwide which threatens to derail decades of progress, a report warns. Although new antibiotics are becoming available for the […]

23rd March 2017

Emerging epidemic of multidrug- resistant TB ‘threatens decades of progress’

The global fight to eradicate tuberculosis (TB) is at a critical crossroads, a new report warned today. An emerging epidemic of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant […]

7th February 2017

Incurable Tuberculosis being spread

eNCA channel 403 DSTV, 7 February 2017

6th February 2017

Concern over sharp increase in drug-resistant TB cases in South Africa

An estimated 35,000 multidrug-resistant tuberculosis cases were recorded in South Africa in 2014. CAPE TOWN – A University of Cape Town researcher says there’s been a […]

30th January 2017

TB: New incurable strains

The rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis has taken a new, horrifying turn. While various strains of TB, with varying degrees of resistance to drugs, have wreaked havoc […]

30th January 2017

Fears over rise of incurable TB

URGENT action, including rapid diagnosis, better access to medication, improved home-based care and more community-stay facilities for patients, is crucial in addressing the rising transmission and […]

30th January 2017

Address poverty, HIV to stem TB

The rise of incurable tuberculosis (TB) underscores the need to address poverty, overcrowding and the HIV epidemic in Africa, experts say. A study which tracked more […]

26th January 2017

New TB test could help curb disease

A recent landmark trial showed 53% more patients initiated therapy for tuberculosis (TB) after a new DNA-based diagnostic tool was used to screen for the disease […]

21st September 2015

The rise of antibiotic resistance

Newsroom, 21 September 2015

28th May 2014

Return of the ‘White Plague’: Fears over the rise of ‘incurable’ TB

“Sometimes I ask myself, why me? Why did this have to happen again?” says 31-year-old Andile from the Khayelitsha township in Cape Town, South Africa. “But […]

27th March 2014

Superspreaders: Tracking tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a huge problem throughout the world. South Africa is particularly hard hit by the disease. It is one of only two countries […]

22nd March 2014

New tech offers hope of tackling TB in South Africa

A sampling device identifies ‘superspreaders’ who cough up live TB bacteria A face mask with satellite-tracking will show where patients go in the community The team […]

22nd January 2014

Patients with deadly TB released in South Africa

The spread of a virtually untreatable form of tuberculosis in South Africa is being fueled by the release of infected patients into the general community, according […]

17th January 2014

SA grapples to mitigate drug-resistant TB – study

Patients with contagious and highly drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) are being routinely discharged from hospitals across South Africa, exposing others in their communities to potentially deadly infections, […]

17th January 2014

Long-term outcomes of patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa: a cohort study

Long-term treatment-related outcomes in patients with extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis are unknown. We followed up a cohort of patients to address knowledge gaps. Download article The […]

19th May 2010

XDR tuberculosis in South Africa: old questions, new answers

In The Lancet today, Keertan Dheda and co-authors present an interesting report about early treatment outcomes of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (resistant to isoniazid, rifampicin, any […]

1st May 2010

Early treatment outcomes and HIV status of patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa: a retrospective cohort study

Data from Kwazulu Natal, South Africa, suggest that almost all patients with extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis are HIV-positive, with a fatal outcome. Since, there are few […]

1st May 2010

Multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis: a threat to global control of tuberculosis

Although progress has been made to reduce global incidence of drug-susceptible tuberculosis, the emergence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis during the past decade […]