Novel mutation detection IN rpoB OF rifampicin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis using pyrosequencing.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health problem particularly severe in parts of Asia and Africa, where often it is present in HIV-AIDS patients. Although rifampicin-resistant (RIFr) TB is slow to emerge due to the low rate of mutation of its target leading to RIFE being a marker of TB that is already resistant to other anti-TB drugs, and such cases are prone to treatment failure. More than 95% of rifampicin resistance is associated with mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) rpoB, with 97% of mutations occurring within the 81 bp rifampicin-resistant determining region (RRDR) of this gene.