Despite the fact that Nepal is one of the first countries globally to introduce multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) case management, the number of MDR-TB cases is continuing to rise in Nepal. Rapid molecular tests applicable in this setting to identify resistant organisms would be an effective tool in reversing this trend. To develop such tools, information about the frequency and distrib...

A total of 105 rifampin (RMP)- and/or isoniazid (INH)-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from different parts of Poland in 2000 were screened for mutations associated with resistance to these drugs by two molecular methods, namely sequence analysis and real-time PCR technology. Three loci associated with drug resistance were selected for characterization: they were rpoB (R...

Infectious diseases pose a potential threat and are responsible for killing more people globally than any other single cause. For six decades, antibiotics have been a bulwark against bacterial infectious diseases. This bulwark is failing due to the appearance of resistant bacterial strains. The biosynthesis pathway of fatty acids in bacteria represents a validated target for antibacterial drug ...

Developing a fast, inexpensive, and specific test that reflects the mutations present in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates according to geographic region is the main challenge for drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) control. The objective of this study was to develop a molecular platform to make a rapid diagnosis of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant TB based on single nucl...

Molecular characterization of the drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains with different origins can generate information that is useful for developing molecular methods. These methods are widely applicable for rapid detection of drug resistance. A total of 166 rifampin (RIF)- and/or isoniazid (INH)-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis have been isolated from different parts of Vi...

Once considered a phenotypically monomorphic bacterium, there is a growing body of work demonstrating heterogeneity among Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains in clinically relevant characteristics, including virulence and response to antibiotics. However, the genetic and molecular basis for most phenotypic differences among Mtb strains remains unknown. To investigate the basis of strain va...

A total of 29 Thai multi-drug-resistant/isoniazid-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates were analyzed for mutations in katG from codons 254 to 549, inhA promoter and inhA open reading frame by DNA sequencing and single strand conformation polymorphism. Twenty-five multi-drug resistant isolates exhibited single point mutations (17 isolates at Ser315Thr plus Arg463Leu, 1 at Thr308Pro plus...