Background: Republic of Azerbaijan is considered as an area with high prevalence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis. Uncontrolled travelling of Azerbaijanis people to Iran is the issue that needs to be considered as an important issue.
Methods: This study was conducted on 32 patients with tuberculosis from Baku-Nakhchivan and 48 patients from Iran during 2012 to 2014. Colonies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were examined after isolating them from patients using proportional method on Lowenstein-Jensen media regarding resistance encounter with Rifampin, Isoniazid and Ethambutol.
Results: Among M. tuberculosis isolates belonging to 32 foreign patients; 69%, 72% and 56% of them were resistant to Rifampin, Isoniazid and Ethambutol, respectively (multidrug resistance tuberculosis: MDR-TB: 62.5%). From 48 isolates of Iranian patients; 8%, 4% and 4% were resistant to Rifampin, Isoniazid and Ethambutol, respectively (MDR-TB: 2.1%).
Conclusions: Resistant strains are common in Baku-Nakhchivan's people. To prevent the transmission of these strains to Iranians, strategies such as; establishing a medical campus in border lines of both countries for clinical examinations and conducting screening tests regarding tuberculosis infection in applicants for entering Iran must be taken in to account.
Keywords: Drug resistance; Iran; Proportional; Rifampin; Tuberculosis.