Drug susceptibility testing results before the start (T0), after 3 months (T3), and at the end of treatment (T8) for patients remaining culture positive at the end of a full treatment course with comparison of RFLP results at T0 and T8.

<p>Number of patients  = 43.</p><p>RFLP, Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism; H, Isoniazid; R, Rifampicin; E, Ethambutol; S, Streptomycin; n/a  =  not available.</p><p>* T0 and T3 isolates identical; T3 and T8 isolates different.</p><p>§ Both RFLP profiles were unique.</p><p>° Intermediate isolate (T3) showed different RFLP.</p><p>** RFLP at T8 not available, but RFLP patterns at T0 and T3 were different.</p

Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients at enrolment.

<p>* Body mass index is calculated as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.</p><p>° Delay: time in days between admission to Colony 33 and the start of treatment.</p><p>§ t-test; # Chi square test.</p

Treatment outcome of the patients at the end of Category II treatment according to their DST profile at start of treatment.

<p>Pan-susceptible: susceptible to all four drugs H,E,R,S.</p><p>Mono-resistant: resistance to one drug.</p><p>Poly-resistant: resistant to at least two drugs, simultaneous resistance to H and R excluded.</p><p>MDR: Multi-drug resistant: resistance to at least H and R.</p

Classification of the patients according to drug resistance profiles against the four first-line tuberculosis drugs (H,E,R and S) at time of enrolment (T0).

<p>N = 233 H, Isoniazid; E, Ethambutol; R, Rifampicin; S, Streptomycin.</p><p>*Poly-resistant TB defined as resistance to more than one drug but not H and R together.</p><p>°Multi-resistant TB defined as resistance to at least H and R.</p