Abstract:

Objective：To systematically compare the publication characteristics and research hotspot evolution patterns of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis （MDR-TB） studies in Chinese and English from 2004 to 2025，clarify the core differences and collaborative directions between domestic and international researches，and provide evidence-based reference for the high-quality development of MDR-TB researches and precise MDR-TB prevention and control in China. Methods：Using the Web of Science Core Collection and China National Knowledge Infrastructure （CNKI） as data sources，relevant MDR-TB research literature from 2004 to 2025 was retrieved. CiteSpace visualization analysis tools were employed to conduct comparative analyses across dimensions such as the distribution of literature by publication year，research hotspot clustering，and longitudinal evolution. Results：A total of 14991 English and 5218 Chinese articles were included. Both English and Chinese literature on MDR-TB showed a phased growth trend over time. From 2004 to 2014，the number of English articles increased from 326 to 985，with an average annual growth rate of 11.6%；the number of Chinese articles increased from 105 to 428，with an average annual growth rate of 15.1%. From 2015 to 2025，the total number of English articles reached 8461，an increase of 29.6% compared to the period from 2004 to 2014 （6530 articles），while the total number of Chinese articles was 3290，an increase of 70.6% compared to the period from 2004 to 2014 （1928 articles）. Additionally，the focus of Chinese and English MDR-TB literature varies aross different time periods，such as in the first phase （2004-2014），English researches focused on elucidating drug resistance mechanisms to establish a “basic-clinical-public health” three-dimensional integrated system，while Chinese researches concentrated on clinical nursing and foundational treatments. In the second phase （2015-2025），English researches continued to lead in underlying technological innovation，e.g. rapid diagnostic tests，while Chinese researches achieved partial breakthroughs in areas of basic management，such as community intervention models，Integrated Traditional Chinese and Modern Medicine. Conclusion：The number of Chinese publications on MDR-TB research has showed rapid growth. In the future，there is a need to further enhance the originality and continuity of researches，focus on disciplinary integration to contribute to realizing global MDR-TB prevention and control goals.

Key words: Tuberculosis, multidrug-resistant, Bibliometrics, Comparative study