Bedaquiline in the treatment regimen of multidrugresistant tuberculosis (clinical observation)

Current trials are underway to design chemotherapy regimens that include bedaquiline to treat children with rifampicin and isoniazid resistant mycobacterium tuberculosis. This clinical observation is interesting from the viewpoint of experience of the potential effective and safe use of the new anti-tuberculosis drug bedaquiline (Sirturo) in children under 12 years of age, as the publications of clinical trials of the drug use in children is limited. The female patient was diagnosed with primary tuberculosis complex complicated by infusional pleurisy based on the epidemiological anamnesis (family contact with tuberculosis patients), immunodiagnostic tests – a positive ATR-test result (Diaskin-test), pathological changes in the lung tissue and intrathoracic lymph nodes found on the chest CT scans. The diagnosis was confirmed by detection of MBT in pleural effusion by PCR and liquid culture method (BACTEC MGIT-960), which are resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin (multidrug resistance, MDR). The girl was enrolled in a clinical trial and treated according to chemotherapy regimen IV including a new anti-tuberculosis drug, which she received for 6 months. There was a positive clinical and X-ray dynamics of the tuberculosis process with minimal residual changes throughout the entire course of chemotherapy followed by confirmed clinical cure of TB (after 24-month follow-up). Based on the example of this clinical observation, it can be concluded that bedaquiline is safe and showed good clinical efficacy in the chemotherapy regimen to treat MDR MBT in children under 12 years of age.

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