Public health and hospital officials are stepping up tuberculosis screening in Duluth after learning that a doctor infected with the disease has a strain. . . resistant to standard treatments.

Although the strain is no more contagious than other varieties of tuberculosis, public health officials don't want to risk missing anyone who potentially became infected because of the difficulty of treating the strain.

Tests conducted by the Minnesota Department of Health have indicated that the five medications most often used to treat tuberculosis will not be effective against the strain caught by Dr. Okechukwu Iwu. . . . Iwu remains hospitalized at St. Mary's.

Because resistant strains are so rare, Health Department officials are consulting with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta [and others]. . . .

Researchers now will conduct tests to see which of the 12 second-line medications would be appropriate for Iwu, who had no comment when contacted Thursday.

One other Duluth area resident who had close contact with Iwu has also tested positive for tuberculosis, and health officials also have notified her doctor. Tests on as many as 70 of Iwu's patients are being conducted. In addition, 22 health care workers who worked closely with the doctor have been tested, according to Beth Johnson, spokeswoman for St. Mary's/Duluth Clinic Health System.

All of the workers tested negative, except for one employee whose positive result was probably caused by a TB vaccine that the worker received several years ago, said Johnson.

Hospital officials are asking that any worker who had at least one hour of close contact with Iwu to get tested. Johnson said worker screening was expanded at the urging of the Health Department.

"We are being more aggressive in making sure that everybody who should be tested comes in to be screened," said department spokesman Doug Schultz. . . .

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2003