Sequence Analysis of Fluoroquinolone Resistance-Associated GenesgyrAandgyrBin Clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates from Patients Suspected of Having Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in New Delhi, India

Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are broad-spectrum antibiotics recommended for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients. FQ resistance, caused by mutations in thegyrAandgyrBgenes ofMycobacterium tuberculosis, is increasingly reported worldwide; however, information on mutations occurring in strains from the Indian subcontinent is scarce. Hence, in this study, we aimed to characterize mutations in thegyrAandgyrBgenes of acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear-positive sediments or ofM. tuberculosisisolates from AFB smear-negative samples from patients in India suspected of having MDR-TB. A total of 152 samples from patients suspected of having MDR-TB were included in the study. One hundred forty-six strains detected in these samples were characterized by sequencing of thegyrAandgyrBgenes. The extracted DNA was subjected to successive amplifications using a nested PCR protocol, followed by sequencing. A total of 27 mutations were observed in thegyrAgenes of 25 strains, while no mutations were observed in thegyrBgenes. The most common mutations occurred at amino acid position 94 (13/27 [48.1%]); of these, the D94G mutation was the most prevalent. ThegyrAmutations were significantly associated with patients with rifampin (RIF)-resistant TB. Heterozygosity was seen in 4/27 (14.8%) mutations, suggesting the occurrence of mixed populations with different antimicrobial susceptibilities. A high rate of FQ-resistant mutations (17.1%) was obtained among the isolates of TB patients suspected of having MDR-TB. These observations emphasize the need for accurate and rapid molecular tests for the detection of FQ-resistant mutations at the time of MDR-TB diagnosis.