Linezolid for XDR-TB — final study outcomes

We previously reported 4-month culture conversion rates among patients with chronic extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) who received linezolid (1). By 4 months, 15 of 19 patients (79%) in the immediate-start group and 7 of 20 (35%) in the delayed-start group had conversion to a negative sputum culture (P=0.001). After 6 months of linezolid treatment, 34 of 39 patients (87%) had negative sputum cultures. Here, we report final study outcomes for these patients 1 year after the end of treatment, 36 months after they began the study.