Drug-Resistant Thberculosis among Prisoners of Three
Prisons in Bangkok and the Vicinity
UNCHALEE T ANSUPHASIRI, MSc*, WANNAPEN PLEUMPANUPAT, MSc**,
WONGDYAN PANDII, Dr.PH***, SOMSAK RIENTHONG, MSc**
Affiliation : *Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400,
**Tuberculosis Division, Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi 11000,
***Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis and
some factors associated with drug resistance among prisoners of three prisons in Bangkok and the
vicinity. Susceptibility testing to four first-line antituberculous drugs was performed on 165 M. tuber
culosis strains isolated from prisoners of three prisons including Klongprem Central (KC) prison,
Bangkwang Central (BC) prison and the Correctional Institution (CI) for Male Drug Addicts. Of 165
smear positive tuberculosis (TB) cases with drugs susceptibility results, resistance to one or more drugs
was 49.7 per cent. Resistance to one, two, three, and four drugs was 20.0, 13.3, 4.2 and 12.1 per cent,
respectively. Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was 18.8 per cent. Patients classified as
primary and acquired drug resistant were 6.7 and 50.0 per cent. The primary drug resistance to one or
more drugs among prisoners at KC, BC and CI were 42.5, 36.4 and 53.9 per cent, respectively and
MDR-TB were 8.2, 3.0, and 7.7 per cent, respectively. Of several factors analyzed in the present study,
only a history of previous TB treatment was significantly associated with drug resistance (p ~, 0.05). In
conclusion, the results indicate the high prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis and the seriousness
of the TB problem in prisons. The public health sector and prison authorities should work in close
collaboration and co-ordination to continue improving TB case detection. Directly Observed Treatment
Short course (DOTS) is highly recommended. Moreover, discharged prisoners with tuberculosis should
be appropriately referred to hospitals or TB control centers.
Keywords : Tuberculosis, Drug-Resistant TB, Prisoners, Prisons Multidrug-Resistance
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