Levofloxacin Preventive Treatment in Children Exposed to MDR Tuberculosis
Background
About 2 million children under 15 worldwide are infected with multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis. Each year, around 30,000 new cases of MDR tuberculosis occur. There is a lack of solid evidence from trials on how to prevent tuberculosis in children exposed to MDR tuberculosis.
Study Overview
This study was conducted in South Africa and involved a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. We looked at how effective and safe levofloxacin is as a preventive treatment for children living with adults who have confirmed MDR tuberculosis.
- Children under 5 years were included regardless of their health status.
- Children aged 5 to 17 were included if they tested positive for certain infections or had HIV.
- Households were randomly assigned to receive either levofloxacin or a placebo for 24 weeks.
Results
Out of 922 participants, 453 received levofloxacin and 469 received a placebo. Most participants (91%) were under 5 years old. By the end of the study:
- Only 1.1% of the levofloxacin group developed tuberculosis compared to 2.6% in the placebo group.
- There were fewer serious side effects in the levofloxacin group (4 cases) compared to the placebo group (8 cases).
Conclusion
Levofloxacin showed a lower rate of tuberculosis compared to placebo in children exposed to MDR tuberculosis, but the difference was not statistically significant.
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