The standard treatment for tuberculosis typically requires multiple drugs over several months.

• A. False
• B. True
• C. It lasts a few days
• D. It lasts a year

Answer: (B)

The main concept here is that treating tuberculosis normally requires using more than one drug for a prolonged period to both eradicate the infection and prevent the bacteria from developing resistance. For drug-susceptible TB, the standard approach starts with a two-month intensive phase using four drugs (usually rifampin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide, and ethambutol), followed by a continuation phase of about four months with two drugs (isoniazid and rifampin). This totals roughly six months of therapy.

Why this matters: Mycobacterium tuberculosis grows slowly and can persist in a dormant state. Using a combination of effective drugs targets different bacterial subpopulations and lowers the chance that any surviving bacteria are resistant. Shorter or shorter-plus-longer regimens are not standard for drug-susceptible TB and can lead to treatment failure, relapse, or resistance. So stating that treatment lasts several months with multiple drugs accurately reflects the usual regimen, whereas a few days or a year do not fit the standard approach.