FIG 1.

Demonstration of the efficiency of HRZE in reducing the number of viable M. tuberculosis (Mtb) over the first 14 days of therapy using 3 quantitative methods: reduction in log₁₀ CFU (blue bars), MPN (calculated from LD-MPN assay, red hatched bars), or increase in time to positivity (TTP [in hours], white hatched bars, right y axis). Increase in TTP from pretreatment samples to day 12 is plotted for subjects 11 and 21, as a result of contamination of day 14 MGIT cultures for these subjects. Values were below the lower limit of detection (LLD; 3 viable M. tuberculosis per ml sputum) in 3 instances at day 14 (subject 11’s MPN and CFU values and subject 42’s CFU value). In these cases, the values were recorded as 2, the highest whole number below the LLD. ID, identification.