Tuberculosis
The Evolution of Tuberculosis
Before the 20th century, there was little hope of survival for patients diagnosed with tuberculosis. The disease was considered impossible to fight and the only course of remedy was staying healthy by managing a healthy diet and getting plenty of rest (Goldberg et al., 2012). In 1921, advancements in scientific research led to the development of the first vaccine, known as Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) (Lienhardt et al., 2012). The discovery of streptomycin (SM) along with paraaminosalicylic acid (PAS) led to a major breakthrough in tuberculosis control known as combination therapy (Goldberg et al., 2012). By combining the medicinal affects of both drugs, tuberculosis finally had an effective method of recovery. Isoniazid was added to the multi-therapy approach after it was discovered in 1951 and together the three drugs cured infected patients within 18-24 months (Lienhardt et al., 2012). Over the years this therapy was altered with the addition and deletion of various drugs and ultimately became the cardinal method of TB control (Goldberg et al., 2012). PAS was replaced with ethambutol in the 1960s, rifampicin was added in the 1970s, and streptomycin was substituted by pyrazinamide in the 1980s (Lienhardt et al., 2012). Today this serious infection is treated with a method known as DOTS- directly observed therapy short course (Weltman et al., 2012). “DOTS includes finding as many highly infected patients with TB as possible, initiating effective treatment, directly observing drug ingestion to ensure adherence, and standardized monitoring, evaluation, and reporting” (Weltman et al., 2012). The drugs utilized in tuberculosis control have brought researchers and doctors closer to diminishing the deaths caused by this endemic.
Anti-tubercular drugs work together as a complex of medicine to treat this active and dangerous disease. Treatment requires a four-drug regime that is administered over a course
Before the 20th century, there was little hope of survival for patients diagnosed with tuberculosis. The disease was considered impossible to fight and the only course of remedy was staying healthy by managing a healthy diet and getting plenty of rest (Goldberg et al., 2012). In 1921, advancements in scientific research led to the development of the first vaccine, known as Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) (Lienhardt et al., 2012). The discovery of streptomycin (SM) along with paraaminosalicylic acid (PAS) led to a major breakthrough in tuberculosis control known as combination therapy (Goldberg et al., 2012). By combining the medicinal affects of both drugs, tuberculosis finally had an effective method of recovery. Isoniazid was added to the multi-therapy approach after it was discovered in 1951 and together the three drugs cured infected patients within 18-24 months (Lienhardt et al., 2012). Over the years this therapy was altered with the addition and deletion of various drugs and ultimately became the cardinal method of TB control (Goldberg et al., 2012). PAS was replaced with ethambutol in the 1960s, rifampicin was added in the 1970s, and streptomycin was substituted by pyrazinamide in the 1980s (Lienhardt et al., 2012). Today this serious infection is treated with a method known as DOTS- directly observed therapy short course (Weltman et al., 2012). “DOTS includes finding as many highly infected patients with TB as possible, initiating effective treatment, directly observing drug ingestion to ensure adherence, and standardized monitoring, evaluation, and reporting” (Weltman et al., 2012). The drugs utilized in tuberculosis control have brought researchers and doctors closer to diminishing the deaths caused by this endemic.
Anti-tubercular drugs work together as a complex of medicine to treat this active and dangerous disease. Treatment requires a four-drug regime that is administered over a course