Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Improving tuberculosis (TB) treatment
Project Summary
A test that can rapidly ascertain the antimicrobial resistance profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) directly from clinical specimens will significantly improve treatment of patients with tuberculosis. Here, we will develop such an assay. Our approach will involve specific enrichment of MTB cells in patient sputum samples followed by DNA extraction and direct whole genome sequencing. Resulting sequence data will be analysed by bioinformatics tools that members of our team have developed. These tools will rapidly identify any mutations linked to resistance to all TB first and second line antibiotics, as well as provide molecular epidemiological information for source tracking.
Project Partners
Victorian Infectious Diseases Reference Laboratory (VIDRL), Victoria, Australia
Victorian Tuberculosis Program, Melbourne Health, Victoria, Australia