Investigation of the Genetic Basis of Antibiotic Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis
type: CreativeWork
description: The emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, coupled with the time it takes to perform phenotypic drug susceptibility testing of this organism, makes the treatment of tuberculosis increasingly difficult. Several genotypic assays for the rapid detection of drug resistance in M. tuberculosis have been developed, but the sensitivity with which these assays identify resistance differs geographically. Additionally, the identification of phenotypically resistant isolates with no identifiable genotypic marker suggests that other factors, such as differential gene expression, may play a role in the development of drug resistance in M. tuberculosis. This investigation aims to both develop and evaluate rapid genotypic assays for the detection of resistance to both first- and second-line drugs in M. tuberculosis, and to investigate the role of alternative sigma factors in the progression to multidrug resistant M. tuberculosis. The sensitivity of the GenoType® MTBDRplus [HAIN Life science] assay for the detection of rifampicin and isoniazid resistance was evaluated in clinical M. tuberculosis isolates with varying phenotypic susceptibility profiles from Cape Town, South Africa. Additionally, the use of multiplex allele-specific-PCR assays for the detection of two commonly identified isoniazid resistance determinants was evaluated in parallel. The GenoType® MTBDRplus [HAIN Lifescience] assay identified rifampicin and isoniazid resistance in clinical M. tuberculosis isolates with sensitivities of 93.5% and 82.1%, respectively, and similar results were obtained using multiplex allele-specific-PCR assays for the detection of isoniazid resistance. Novel multiplex allele-specific-PCR assays for the detection of resistance to ofloxacin and kanamycin/amikacin in M. tuberculosis were designed, and their ability to correctly identify resistance to these second-line drugs was evaluated. Multiplex allele-specific-PCR assays for the detection of GyrA D94G and…
abstract: The emergence of antibiotic resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, coupled with the time it takes to perform phenotypic drug susceptibility testing of this organism, makes the treatment of tuberculosis increasingly difficult. Several genotypic assays for the rapid detection of drug resistance in M. tuberculosis have been developed, but the sensitivity with which these assays identify resistance differs geographically. Additionally, the identification of phenotypically resistant isolates with no identifiable genotypic marker suggests that other factors, such as differential gene expression, may play a role in the development of drug resistance in M. tuberculosis. This investigation aims to both develop and evaluate rapid genotypic assays for the detection of resistance to both first- and second-line drugs in M. tuberculosis, and to investigate the role of alternative sigma factors in the progression to multidrug resistant M. tuberculosis. The sensitivity of the GenoType® MTBDRplus [HAIN Life science] assay for the detection of rifampicin and isoniazid resistance was evaluated in clinical M. tuberculosis isolates with varying phenotypic susceptibility profiles from Cape Town, South Africa. Additionally, the use of multiplex allele-specific-PCR assays for the detection of two commonly identified isoniazid resistance determinants was evaluated in parallel. The GenoType® MTBDRplus [HAIN Lifescience] assay identified rifampicin and isoniazid resistance in clinical M. tuberculosis isolates with sensitivities of 93.5% and 82.1%, respectively, and similar results were obtained using multiplex allele-specific-PCR assays for the detection of isoniazid resistance. Novel multiplex allele-specific-PCR assays for the detection of resistance to ofloxacin and kanamycin/amikacin in M. tuberculosis were designed, and their ability to correctly identify resistance to these second-line drugs was evaluated. Multiplex allele-specific-PCR assays for the detection of GyrA D94G and…
author: Evans, Joanna
keywords: Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
date published: 2010
date modified: 2026-07-24T01:34:13Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Division of Medical Microbiology

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/39091