Molecular Analysis of Streptomycin Resistance Genes in Clinical Strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Biocomputational Analysis of the MtGidB L101F Variant.

Globally, tuberculosis (TB) remains a prevalent threat to public health. In 2019, TB affected 10 million people and caused 1.4 million deaths. The major challenge for controlling this infectious disease is the emergence and spread of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB. The antibiotic streptomycin is not a current first-line anti-TB drug. However, WHO recommends its use in patients infected with a streptomycin-sensitive strain. Several mutations in the M. tuberculosisrpsL, rrs and gidB genes have proved association with streptomycin resistance. In this study, we performed a molecular analysis of these genes in clinical isolates to determine the prevalence of known or novel mutations. Here, we describe the genetic analysis outcome. Furthermore, a biocomputational analysis of the MtGidB L101F variant, the product of a novel mutation detected in gidB during molecular analysis, is also reported as a theoretical approach to study the apparent genotype-phenotype association.

DNA Extraction with DNAzol and LAMP, Performed in a Heating Block as a Simple Procedure for Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Sputum Specimens.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains as a major public health issue in developing countries. Accurate detection is essential for the proper management of patients with active disease. Here, we present a simple DNAzol-LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) procedure for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum specimens. Twenty smear-positive sputum samples were analyzed as follows: (i) Genetic material was extracted by a standard DNAzol protocol, and (ii) mycobacterial DNA was detected by a typical TB-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification method. Results and diagnostic test performance attests to the suitability of the proposed procedure.