To treat or not to treat: The case of tuberculosis

Abstract:

Incomplete treatment of patients with infectious tuberculosis (TB) may not only lead to relapse but also to the development of antibiotic resistant TB - one of the most serious health problems facing society today. In this article, we formulate one-strain and two-strain TB models to determine possible mechanisms that may allow for the survival and spread of naturally resistant strains of TB as well as antibiotic-generated resistant strains of TB. Analysis of our models shows that non-antibiotic co-existence is possible but rare for naturally resistant strains while co-existence is almost the rule for strains that result from the lack of compliance with antibiotic treatment by TB infected individuals. © Springer-Verlag 1997.

Año de publicación:

1997

Keywords:

• Tuberculosis
• Antibiotic Resistance
• epidemiology
• Co-existence
• Dynamical systems

Fuente:

scopus