Evaluation of the GenoType® MTBDRplus assay and identification of a rare mutation for improving MDR-TB detection.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the new GenoType® MTBDRplus assay for the rapid detection of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in comparison with DNA sequencing to identify drug resistance mutation profiles in China.


METHODS
Using MTBDRplus, drug susceptibility testing  (DST) and DNA sequencing, 237 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were tested.


RESULTS
The sensitivity of MTBDRplus was 75.0% (126/168) for isoniazid (INH) resistant strains, and 93.5% (157/168) for rifampicin (RMP) resistant strains. It correlated well with sequencing, with  94.9% and 99.6% agreement for each strain category and 100% specificity for all categories. The two most common rpoB mutations were S531L (53.6%, 90/168) and D516G (17.3%, 29/168) in RMP-resistant strains. INH resistance was dominated by the katG 315 locus (S to T, N, R, I) mutation  (73.7%, 124/168), and a rare katG mutation, S315N (6.5%, 11/168), not covered by MTBDRplus was identified. The mutation combination inhA-15/inhA-8 and katG315 (34 strains) was characteristically displayed in MDR-TB strains (23.5%), but not in  INH-monoresistant strains.


CONCLUSIONS
Although Genotype MTBDRplus is a rapid and reliable molecular test for detecting MDR-TB, a significant proportion of strains in China contain a rare katG S315N mutation that would be missed by the assay. Further improvements may be achieved  by incorporating this mutation into the assay to increase sensitivity in detecting INH resistance in China.
Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
J
J
Jin
Y
Y
Zhang
X
X
Fan
N
N
Diao
L
L
Shao
F
F
Wang
P
P
Hu
S
S
Wang
X
X
Weng
W
W
Zhang
D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002681:China; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007538:Isoniazid / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000379:methods; D009154:Mutation; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D012293:Rifampin / Q000494:pharmacology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000379:methods*; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000175:diagnosis*
D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D007538:Isoniazid; D012293:Rifampin