AUTHOR=Pourakbari Babak , Mamishi Setareh , Mohammadzadeh Mona , Mahmoudi Shima 

TITLE=First-Line Anti-Tubercular Drug Resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in IRAN: A Systematic Review

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2016

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01139

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2016.01139

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> The spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is one of the major public health problems through the world. Surveillance of anti-TB drug resistance is essential for monitoring of TB control strategies. The occurrence of drug resistance, particularly multi-drug resistance <italic>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</italic> (MDR), defined as resistance to at least rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH), has become a significant public health dilemma. The status of drug-resistance TB in Iran, one of the eastern Mediterranean countries locating between Azerbaijan and Armenia and high-TB burden countries (such as Afghanistan and Pakistan) has been reported inconsistently. Therefore, the aim of this study was to summarize reports of first-line anti-tubercular drug resistance in <italic>M. tuberculosis</italic> in Iran.</p><p><bold>Material and Methods:</bold> We systematically reviewed published studies on drug-resistant <italic>M. tuberculosis</italic> in Iran. The search terms were “<italic>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</italic> susceptibility” or “<italic>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</italic> resistant” and Iran.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Fifty-two eligible articles, published during 1998–2014, were included in this review. Most of the studies were conducted in Tehran. The most common used laboratory method for detecting <italic>M. tuberculosis</italic> drug resistant was Agar proportion. The highest resistance to first-line drugs was seen in Tehran, the capital city of Iran. The average prevalence of isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF), streptomycin (SM), and ethambotol (EMB) resistance via Agar proportion method in Tehran was 26, 23, 22.5, and 16%, respectively. In general, resistance to INH was more common than RIF, SM, and EMB in Tehran</p><p><bold>Conclusions:</bold> In conclusion, this systematic review summarized the prevalence and distribution of first-line anti-tubercular drug resistance of <italic>M. tuberculosis</italic> in Iran. Our results suggested that effective strategies to minimize the acquired drug resistance, to control the transmission of resistance and improve the diagnosis measures for TB control in Iran.</p>