Tuberculosis Treatment: The Effectiveness of Dual Antibiotic Therapy

[LadiesMan]

Tuberculosis patients are now routinely given two different antibiotics at the same time. Why might this approach be more effective that administering a different antibiotic only after bacteria develop resistance to the first?

Is it because infections rapidly adapt through mutations?

 

[Moonbear]

Tuberculosis patients are now routinely given two different antibiotics at the same time. Why might this approach be more effective that administering a different antibiotic only after bacteria develop resistance to the first?

Is it because infections rapidly adapt through mutations?

That really doesn't address the question of why give two antibiotics at the same time, that just explains how resistance occurs. What would be the risk of waiting for resistance to develop before giving a different antibiotic?

 

[iansmith]

You not on the wrong track with the mutation idea but there might be other idea that could be suitable.

How long does TB take to grow in a host? Is it actively growing in a host? How would grow rate impact the efficacity of an antibiotic?