AN asylum seeker who was the first person in the UK to be diagnosed with a rare and particularly virulent strain of tuberculosis is being treated in an isolation ward in England after being discharged from a Glasgow hospital.

The man, who has not been identified but is thought to be a Somali in his 30s, is seriously ill and receiving treatment for Extreme Drug Resistant TB (XDR TB) at a hospital in Leeds.

The condition is virtually unknown in the west, but has proved almost untreatable in the Third World as it has developed resistance to the drugs normally used to treat TB and the combination of drugs used against resistant strains of the disease.

Health officials in Leeds were unable to say yesterday whether the man was currently infectious.

It was also uncertain whether his condition was infectious at any time when he was being treated in the community, although a spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) said he was not infectious when discharged from Gartnavel Hospital earlier this year and that he had been monitored daily while outside hospital.

The case first came to light in March, two months after health officials in Glasgow became aware of it.

After the patient was admitted, the health board obtained a court order ensuring he remain in hospital. However, NHSGGC said yesterday that the man was able to leave hospital after his condition stabilised and the court order was not renewed.

The man is understood to have presented himself at an A&E department in Leeds within 24 hours of arriving in the city after travelling south to visit relatives.

A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said: "We would stress there is absolutely no risk to patients or visitors elsewhere on hospital premises as a result of this.

"Staff who come into contact with patients with infectious diseases are trained to a very high standard and every precaution is taken to avoid any risk of them being infected."

When XDR TB first emerged in South Africa it proved almost impossible for doctors to treat and had very high mortality rates.

One survey found that of 53 people who had contracted the strain, 52 died from it.

Like ordinary TB, the strain - one of many described as multi-resistant - is contagious if not treated, but is difficult to pass on, usually requiring prolonged and close contact.

However, there has recently been progress in treating the disease in the west after experimentation with different combinations of drugs.