Levofloxacin Preventive Therapy for Persons Exposed to MDR Tuberculosis

The use of preventive tuberculosis treatment after Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, historically with isoniazid and more recently with shorter-duration rifamycin regimens, is a core component of tuberculosis control in the United States and is increasingly being used in some tuberculosis-endemic areas.1 However, multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis, which is caused by M. tuberculosis resistant to isoniazid and rifampin, threatens efforts to control tuberculosis. Worldwide, most initiatives to address MDR tuberculosis have focused on disease diagnosis and treatment, resulting in important successes in these areas.2-5 Less has been done in the domain of chemoprevention after exposure to a person with MDR tuberculosis, despite evidence . . .