What is the primary reason for using multi-drug therapy in the treatment of Tuberculosis?
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Correct answer: To prevent the emergence of drug-resistant strains
Mycobacterium tuberculosis acquires resistance through spontaneous chromosomal mutations, and a large bacillary population will already contain mutants resistant to any single agent. Combining drugs with different mechanisms ensures those mutants are killed by the companion drugs, which prevents multidrug-resistant disease.
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