Analysis of drug resistance mutations in pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in the Southern coastal region of Andhra Pradesh, India.

Purpose And Objectives: Detection of drug resistance plays a crucial role in tuberculosis (TB) treatment and prevention of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) transmission. The aim of this study was to determine the levels and patterns of resistance of MTB isolates to two key anti-TB drugs (rifampicin, RIF and isoniazid, INH) and the type of mutations in drug resistance genes (rpoB, katG and inhA) of the isolates at the southern coastal region of Andhra Pradesh, India, using commercially available GenoType MTBDRplus assay under the Revised National TB Control Program.

Methods: GenoType MTBDRplus assay was performed on 2859 sputum smear-positive samples and the mutations in the genes responsible for resistance (rpoB, katG and inhA) were analyzed.