New test could identify resistant tuberculosis faster in London

Tuberculosis (TB) disease rates in some parts of London are as high as in Sub-Saharan Africa, and drug-resistant strains are becoming increasingly common. These require specific treatments, and if doctors know that a bug is resistant they can start therapy earlier, often leading to better outcomes. Whole genome sequencing reveals the complete genetic (DNA) sequence of an Mtb sample, in many cases pinpointing drug resistance mutations so that appropriate treatments can be given. However, this process currently takes weeks because samples need to be grown in the laboratory before there is enough genetic material to measure. The new method, published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, allows scientists to enrich Mtb DNA directly from patient sputum (mucus) samples. This means that the samples can be sequenced and analysed straight away, avoiding the need to spend weeks growing them in the lab. The work was done as a collaboration between the researchers at UCL, Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), CLC bio-Qiagen and the Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam, who are part of the European Union FP7-funded PATHSEEK consortium.