Latent tuberculosis

Report suggests short course of rifampicin/isoniazid as effective as standard course of isoniazid for the treatment of latent TB

A 3-month course of isoniazid (INH) plus rifampicin (RIF) is as effective a treatment of latent tuberculosis (TB) as the standard six to twelve month course of INH alone, according to review published in the March 1 issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases. The review (actually an analysis of the combined data from five randomised controlled clinical trials) also concluded that severe side effects and mortality were similar on both regimens.