[Significance of the acetylator phenotype and initial oral/intravenous rifampicin administration in the treatment of tuberculosis].

In a pilot study involving 62 patients with open pulmonary tuberculosis, we established that slow acetyators and patients receiving intravenous rifampicin treatment showed a tendency towards a more rapid negativisation of the sputum culture than did fast acetyators (lower levels of isoniazid) or patients receiving oral rifampicin therapy (decreasing bioavailability of the rifampicin during treatment).