Symptoms of XDR TB are the same as for any kind of tuberculosis. In fact, the only difference between XDR TB and common tuberculosis is that the particular strain of mycobacterium that causes XDR TB is extremely difficult to kill with the drugs available today. XDR TB can be determined by laboratory testing for the TB bacteria from sputnum, mucus coughed up from the lungs. The identification of TB should only take one to two days, but to find out whether or not the TB strain is drug resistant, laboratory tests must be done with the bacteria grown in cultures and tested against different drugs. These tests are may take six to 16 weeks and not always available in all laboratories. Since XDR TB is still rare, most physicians will assume a tuberculosis case is caused by a normal strain of the tuberculosis mycobacterium, and treat accordingly. Laboratory tests may not be available or tests may not be ordered since XDR TB is rare and doctors will not suspect a patient of having XDR TB unless they have been treated with TB unsuccessfully already, come from a country where XDR TB is more common, such as South Africa or Russia or have HIV/AIDS. XDR TB is identified, by definition, when drugs used to treat normal tuberculosis do not cure the disease.
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Symptoms and signs of tuberculosis are:
- nausea
- weakness
- fatigue
- rapid weight loss
- fever
- cough
- night sweats
- and the coughing up of thick, cloudy mucus, sometimes with blood, for more than two weeks
Sources:
World Health Organization. South Africa is moving swiftly to combat the threat of XDR-TB. Dec 2006.
World Health Organization. UN Special Envoy warns of deadly synergy between TB and HIV. Nov 29, 2006.
World Health Organization. Frequently Asked Questions. XDR TB. Retrieved January 31, 2007.