Figure 3.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) burden decreases during antituberculosis treatment (ATT). Individuals with tuberculosis provided stool samples at time of enrollment and again at the 2-month follow-up visit. (A) In most participants with treatment success, quantified Mtb polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on paired samples demonstrated a decrease in time as ATT increases (inverse correlation). (B) Individuals with treatment failure or drug resistance had an increased risk of persistent stool Mtb PCR at 2 months (relative risk 2.8 confidence interval: 1.2–6.5 P = 0.012). Rx = treatment.