Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid for treating drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

This report describes two patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis who were successfully treated with the addition of amoxicillin-clavulanic acid to second-line drugs. Mycobacterium tuberculosis possesses a beta-lactamase contributing to its resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. The combination of clavulanic acid, a beta-lactamase inhibitor, and amoxicillin has been shown bactericidal for M tuberculosis in vitro. These data suggest that resistant tuberculosis may warrant a trial of treatment including amoxicillin-clavulanic acid.