Introduction: The transmission of drug-resistant tuberculosis is one of the greatest challenges facing the global tuberculosis control. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the resent transmission of rifampicin resistant tuberculosis in Bulgaria and to describe the mutations related to the antimicrobials’ resistance using whole genome sequencing. Materials and methods: As part of an ECDC funded pilot study for evaluation of the systematic use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) surveillance (EUSeqMyTB), Bulgaria provided 65 rifampicin resistant isolates over a three years’ timeframe (2017-2019) representing 87.5% of the notified rifampicin resistant cases. Drug resistance prediction and relatedness analysis of the resistant isolates was performed in collaboration with San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy. Results: Almost all of the isolates were identified as Euro-American lineage (96.9%); 18.5% of the isolates were found to be resistant to fluoroquinolones, but no mutations conferring resistance to bedaquiline or linezolid could be identified. Less than half (43.3%) of the isolates were clustered (<5 SNPs distance) into a total of seven national SNP-based clusters, while a total of six isolates were found to be part of different cross-border clusters. All clustered cases originated from Bulgaria. Conclusions: WGS has proven to be a reliable tool for surveillance and tracing of recent transmission of tuberculosis and has the potential for resistance prediction for most of the antituberculosis drugs.

Whole Genome Sequencing of Bulgarian Rifampicin Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains / S. Yordanova, E. Bachiyska, E. Tagliani, A. Baykova, Y. Atanasova, A. Spitaleri, D.M. Cirillo. - In: FOLIA MEDICA. - ISSN 0204-8043. - 64:4(2022), pp. 633-640. [10.3897/folmed.64.e70554]

Whole Genome Sequencing of Bulgarian Rifampicin Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains

A. Spitaleri;
2022

Abstract

Introduction: The transmission of drug-resistant tuberculosis is one of the greatest challenges facing the global tuberculosis control. Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the resent transmission of rifampicin resistant tuberculosis in Bulgaria and to describe the mutations related to the antimicrobials’ resistance using whole genome sequencing. Materials and methods: As part of an ECDC funded pilot study for evaluation of the systematic use of whole genome sequencing (WGS) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) surveillance (EUSeqMyTB), Bulgaria provided 65 rifampicin resistant isolates over a three years’ timeframe (2017-2019) representing 87.5% of the notified rifampicin resistant cases. Drug resistance prediction and relatedness analysis of the resistant isolates was performed in collaboration with San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy. Results: Almost all of the isolates were identified as Euro-American lineage (96.9%); 18.5% of the isolates were found to be resistant to fluoroquinolones, but no mutations conferring resistance to bedaquiline or linezolid could be identified. Less than half (43.3%) of the isolates were clustered (<5 SNPs distance) into a total of seven national SNP-based clusters, while a total of six isolates were found to be part of different cross-border clusters. All clustered cases originated from Bulgaria. Conclusions: WGS has proven to be a reliable tool for surveillance and tracing of recent transmission of tuberculosis and has the potential for resistance prediction for most of the antituberculosis drugs.
multidrug resistance; transmission
Settore BIO/10 - Biochimica
Settore FIS/07 - Fisica Applicata(Beni Culturali, Ambientali, Biol.e Medicin)
Settore PHYS-06/A - Fisica per le scienze della vita, l'ambiente e i beni culturali
2022
Article (author)
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
FM_article_70554_en_1.pdf

accesso aperto

Tipologia: Publisher's version/PDF
Dimensione 1.04 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.04 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri
Pubblicazioni consigliate

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/1047645
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 1
  • Scopus 1
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? ND
social impact