Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of Line Probe Assay (LiPA) in detecting the rpoB gene mutation of clinically isolated Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and to compare the level of resistance to the various rifamycins with their mutation sites. The mutation in the rpoB gene was found in 84 (97.6%) out of 86 rifampicin (RMP) resistant strains as determined by LiPA. No mutation was observed in 2 RMP resistant strains and in any of 38 RMP susceptible strains tested. Only one of 3 strains with Δ5/R5, one of 2 strains with Δ3, and one of 3 strains with Δ2/R2 LiPA profile showed a slightly lower level of resistance to the rifapentine than the other strains. Although we could not find correlations between mutation sites in the rpoB gene and the level of susceptibility to the various rifamycins, the LiPA is recommended as a fast screening tool for detection of RMP resistant MTB.

• Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; rifampicin; rpoB gene; line probe assay