By June 2008, 49 countries had confirmed cases of XDR-TB. By the end of 2017, 127 WHO Member States reported a total of 10,800 cases of XDR-TB, and 8.5% of cases of MDR-TB in 2017 were estimated to have been XDR-TB.In August 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Pretomanid in combination with bedaquiline and linezolid for treating a limited and specific population of adult patients with extensively drug resistant, treatment-intolerant or nonresponsive multidrug resistant pulmonary TB. Symptoms and signs
Symptoms of XDR-TB are no different from ordinary or drug-susceptible TB: a cough with thick, cloudy mucus (or sputum), sometimes with blood, for more than two weeks; fever, chills, and night sweats; fatigue and muscle weakness; weight loss; and in some cases shortness of breath and chest pain. A person with these symptoms does not necessarily have XDR-TB, but they should see a physician for diagnosis and a treatment plan. TB patients whose symptoms do not improve after a few weeks of treatment for TB and are taking treatment should inform their clinician or nurse. Transmission
Like other forms of TB, XDR-TB is spread through the air. When a person with infectious TB coughs, sneezes, talks or spits, they propel TB germs, known as bacilli, into the air. XDR-TB cannot be spread by kissing, sharing food or drinks, or shaking someones hand. The bacterium has the ability to stay in the air for several hours. A person needs only to inhale a small number of these to be infected.
XDR-TB is associated with a much higher mortality rate than MDR-TB, because of a reduced number of effective treatment options. A 2008 study in the Tomsk oblast of Russia, reported that 14 out of 29 (48.3%) patients with XDR-TB successfully completed treatment. In 2018, the WHO reported that the treatment success rate for XDR-TB was 34% for the 2015 cohort, compared to 55% for MDR/RR-TB (2015 cohort), 77% for HIV-associated TB (2016 cohort), and 82% for TB (2016 cohort).A 2018 meta-analysis of 12,030 patients from 25 countries in 50 studies has demonstrated that treatment success increases and mortality decreases when treatment includes bedaquiline, later generation fluoroquinolones, and linezolid. One regimen for XDR-TB called Nix-TB, a combination pretomanid, bedaquiline, and linezolid, has shown promise in early clinical trials.Successful outcomes depend on a number of factors including the extent of the drug resistance, the severity of the disease and whether the patients immune system is compromised. It also depends on access to laboratories that can provide early and accurate diagnosis so that effective treatment is provided as soon as possible. Effective treatment requires that all six classes of second-line drugs be available to clinicians who have special expertise in treating such cases. Enforced quarantine
Carriers who refuse to wear a mask in public have been indefinitely involuntarily committed to regular jails, and cut off from contacting the world. Some have run away from the USA, complaining of abuse. Epidemiology
Studies have found that men have a higher risk of getting XDR-TB than women.