BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) incidence and mortality are declining worldwide; however, poor detection of drug-resistant disease threatens to reverse current progress toward global TB control. Multiple, rapid molecular diagnostic tests have recently been developed to detect genetic mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) genes known to confer first-line drug resistance. Their utility, though, depends on the frequency and distribution of the resistance associated mutations in the pathogen population. Mutations associated with rifampicin resistance, one of the two first-line drugs, are well understood and appear to occur in a single gene region in >95% of phenotypically resistant isolates. Mutations associated with isoniazid, the other first-line drug, are more complex and occur in multiple Mtb genes.Objectives/MethodologyA systematic review of all published studies from January 2000 through August 2013 was conducted to quantify the frequency of the most common mutations associated with isoniazid resistance, to describe the frequency at which these mutations co-occur, and to identify the regional differences in the distribution of these mutations. Mutation data from 118 publications were extracted and analyzed for 11,411 Mtb isolates from 49 countries.Principal Findings/ConclusionsGlobally, 64% of all observed phenotypic isoniazid resistance was associated with the katG315 mutation. The second most frequently observed mutation, inhA-15, was reported among 19% of phenotypically resistant isolates. These two mutations, katG315 and inhA-15, combined with ten of the most commonly occurring mutations in the inhA promoter and the ahpC-oxyR intergenic region explain 84% of global phenotypic isoniazid resistance. Regional variation in the frequency of individual mutations may limit the sensitivity of molecular diagnostic tests. Well-designed systematic surveys and whole genome sequencing are needed to identify mutation frequencies in geographic regions where rapid molecular tests are currently being deployed, providing a context for interpretation of test results and the opportunity for improving the next generation of diagnostics.

Background Accurate, comprehensive, and timely detection of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is essential to inform patient treatment and enable public health surveillance. This is crucial for effective control of TB globally. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches have potential as rapid in vitro diagnostics (IVDs), but the complexity of workflows, interpretation of results, high costs, and vulnerability of instrumentation have been barriers to broad uptake outside of reference laboratories, especially in low- and middle-income countries. A new, solid-state, tabletop sequencing instrument, Illumina iSeq100, has the potential to decentralize NGS for individual patient care. Methods and findings In this study, we evaluated WGS and targeted NGS for TB on both the new iSeq100 and the widely used MiSeq (both manufactured by Illumina) and compared sequencing performance, costs, and usability. We utilized DNA libraries produced from Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical isolates for the evaluation. We conducted WGS on three strains and observed equivalent uniform genome coverage with both platforms and found the depth of coverage obtained was consistent with the expected data output. Utilizing the standardized, cloud-based ReSeqTB bioinformatics pipeline for variant analysis, we found the two platforms to have 94.0% (CI 93.1%–94.8%) agreement, in comparison to 97.6% (CI 97%–98.1%) agreement for the same libraries on two MiSeq instruments. For the targeted NGS approach, 46 M . tuberculosis –specific amplicon libraries had 99.6% (CI 98.0%–99.9%) agreement between the iSeq100 and MiSeq data sets in drug resistance–associated SNPs. The upfront capital costs are almost 5-fold lower for the iSeq100 ($19,900 USD) platform in comparison to the MiSeq ($99,000 USD); however, because of difference in the batching capabilities, the price per sample for WGS was higher on the iSeq100. For WGS of M . tuberculosis at the minimum depth of coverage of 30x, the cost per sample on the iSeq100 was $69.44 USD versus $28.21 USD on the MiSeq, assuming a 2 × 150 bp run on a v3 kit. In terms of ease of use, the sequencing workflow of iSeq100 has been optimized to only require 27 minutes total of hands-on time pre- and post-run, and the maintenance is simplified by a single-use cartridge–based fluidic system. As these are the first sequencing attempts on the iSeq100 for M . tuberculosis , the sequencing pool loading concentration still needs optimization, which will affect sequencing error and depth of coverage. Additionally, the costs are based on current equipment and reagent costs, which are subject to change. Conclusions The iSeq100 instrument is capable of running existing TB WGS and targeted NGS library preparations with comparable a...

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to compare the performance of several recently developed assays for the detection of multi- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB) in a large, multinational field trial.MethodsSamples from 1,128 M/XDR-TB suspects were examined by Line Probe Assay (LPA), Pyrosequencing (PSQ), and Microscopic Observation of Drug Susceptibility (MODS) and compared to the BACTEC MGIT960 reference standard to detect M/XDR-TB directly from patient sputum samples collected at TB clinics in India, Moldova, and South Africa.ResultsSpecificity for all three assays was excellent: 97–100% for isoniazid (INH), rifampin (RIF), moxifloxacin (MOX) and ofloxacin (OFX) and 99–100% for amikacin (AMK), capreomycin (CAP) and kanamycin (KAN) resistance. Sensitivities were lower, but still very good: 94–100% for INH, RIF, MOX and OFX, and 84–90% for AMK and CAP, but only 48–62% for KAN. In terms of agreement, statistically significant differences were only found for detection of RIF (MODS outperformed PSQ) and KAN (MODS outperformed LPA and PSQ) resistance. Mean time-to-result was 1.1 days for LPA and PSQ, 14.3 days for MODS, and 24.7 days for MGIT.ConclusionsAll three rapid assays evaluated provide clinicians with timely detection of resistance to the drugs tested; with molecular results available one day following laboratory receipt of samples. In particular, the very high specificity seen for detection of drug resistance means that clinicians can use the results of these rapid tests to avoid the use of toxic drugs to which the infecting organism is resistant and develop treatment regiments that have a higher likelihood of yielding a successful outcome.

Performance of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay, designed to simultaneously detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and rifampin (RIF) resistance, has been well documented in low-resource settings with high TB-incidence. However, few studies have assessed its accuracy in low TB incidence settings. We evaluated the performance of Xpert MTB/RIF using clinical sputum specimens routinely collected from suspect pulmonary TB patients over a 4-year time period in San Diego County, California. Xpert MTB/RIF results were compared to acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear microscopy, mycobacterial culture, and phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST). Of 751 sputum specimens, 134 (17.8%) were MTBC culture-positive and 2 (1.5%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR). For the detection of MTBC, Xpert MTB/RIF sensitivity was 89.6% (97.7% and 74.5% in smear-positive and -negative sputa, respectively) and specificity was 97.2%; while AFB smear sensitivity and specificity were 64.9% and 77.8%, respectively. Xpert MTB/RIF detected 35 of 47 smear-negative culture-positive specimens, and excluded 124 of 137 smear-positive culture-negative specimens. Xpert MTB/RIF also correctly excluded 99.2% (121/122) of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) specimens, including all 33 NTM false-positives by smear microscopy. For the detection of RIF resistance, Xpert MTB/RIF sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 98.3%, respectively. Our findings demonstrate that Xpert MTB/RIF is able to accurately detect MTBC and RIF resistance in routinely collected respiratory specimens in a low TB-incidence setting, with comparable performance to that achieved in high-incidence settings; and suggest that under these conditions the assay has particular utility in detecting smear-negative TB cases, excluding smear-positive patients without MTBC disease, and differentiating MTBC from NTM.