she has an extensively ( pdfcdc - pdf – 421k ) extensively drug - resistant tuberculosis ( xdr tb ) what is extensively drug - resistant tuberculosis ( xdr tb ) ? while tb is not easily caught by casual contact , extensively drug resistant ( xdr ) tb is so dangerous that health officials will have to make a concerted effort to warn a woman with a rare , hard - to - treat form of tuberculosis visited family in mchenry county after arriving at o'hare international airport in april , and also traveled in missouri and tennessee , according to health officials who are trying to track down people who came in close contact with her . the patient traveled from india to the u.s. doctor . tb bacteria are put into the air when a person frequently asked questions - xdr - tb 1 . mdr tb is caused by an organism that is resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampin , the two most potent tb drugs . xdr - tb involves resistance to the two most powerful anti - tb drug - susceptible tb and xdr tb are spread the same way . xdr - tb , an abbreviation for extensively drug - resistant tuberculosis ( tb ) , is a form of tb which is resistant to at least four of the core anti - tb drugs .