A new method that uses two widely used imaging technologies may be useful to track whether rifampin, a drug used to treat tuberculosis (TB), is actually reaching the areas in the body where the bacteria that cause the disease are nested, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Medicine and other institutions. Researchers suggest the new technique could potentially shorten the usual treatment period from 6 months to 4 months.

“A new method that uses two widely used imaging technologies may be useful to track whether rifampin, a drug used to treat tuberculosis (TB), is actually reaching the areas in the body where the bacteria that cause the disease are nested, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Medicine and other institutions. Researchers suggest the new technique could potentially shorten the usual treatment period from 6 months to 4 months.”

The new imaging tool incorporates positron emission tomography and computed tomography — commonly known as PET and CT scans — to noninvasively measure the effectiveness of rifampin, a key anti-TB medicine. The researchers describe a trial using the tool in TB patients in a paper published Feb. 17, 2020, in the journal Nature Medicine.

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