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Kontsevaya I, Lange C, Comella-Del-Barrio P, Coarfa C, DiNardo AR, Gillespie SH, Hauptmann M, Leschczyk C, Mandalakas AM, Martinecz A, Merker M, Niemann S, Reimann M, Rzhepishevska O, Schaible UE, Scheu KM, Schurr E, Abel Zur Wiesch P, Heyckendorf J. Perspectives for systems biology in the management of tuberculosis. Eur Respir Rev 2021; 30:30/160/200377. [PMID: 34039674 DOI: 10.1183/16000617.0377-2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Standardised management of tuberculosis may soon be replaced by individualised, precision medicine-guided therapies informed with knowledge provided by the field of systems biology. Systems biology is a rapidly expanding field of computational and mathematical analysis and modelling of complex biological systems that can provide insights into mechanisms underlying tuberculosis, identify novel biomarkers, and help to optimise prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. These advances are critically important in the context of the evolving epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Here, we review the available evidence on the role of systems biology approaches - human and mycobacterial genomics and transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics/metabolomics, immunophenotyping, systems pharmacology and gut microbiomes - in the management of tuberculosis including prediction of risk for disease progression, severity of mycobacterial virulence and drug resistance, adverse events, comorbidities, response to therapy and treatment outcomes. Application of the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach demonstrated that at present most of the studies provide "very low" certainty of evidence for answering clinically relevant questions. Further studies in large prospective cohorts of patients, including randomised clinical trials, are necessary to assess the applicability of the findings in tuberculosis prevention and more efficient clinical management of patients.
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Omar SV, Hillemann D, Pandey S, Merker M, Witt AK, Nadarajan D, Barilar I, Bainomugisa A, Kelly EC, Diel R, Vidanagama DS, Samarasinghe AIP, Cader MR, Götsch U, Lavu E, Alabi A, Schön T, Coulter C, Niemann S, Maurer FP, Ismail NA, Köser CU, Ismail F. Systematic rifampicin resistance errors with Xpert ® MTB/RIF Ultra: implications for regulation of genotypic assays. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2021; 24:1307-1311. [PMID: 33317678 DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.20.0396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Grobbel HP, Merker M, Köhler N, Andres S, Hoffmann H, Heyckendorf J, Reimann M, Barilar I, Dreyer V, Hillemann D, Kalsdorf B, Kohl TA, Sanchez-Carballo P, Schaub D, Todt K, Utpatel C, Maurer FP, Lange C, Niemann S. Design of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment regimens based on DNA sequencing. Clin Infect Dis 2021; 73:1194-1202. [PMID: 33900387 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Comprehensive and reliable drug susceptibility testing (DST) is urgently needed to provide adequate treatment regimens for patients with multidrug-resistant/rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB). We investigated if next generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates and genes implicated in drug resistance can guide the design of effective MDR/RR-TB treatment regimens. METHODS NGS-based genomic DST predictions of M. tuberculosis complex isolates from MDR/RR-TB patients admitted to a TB reference center in Germany between 01/01/2015 and 04/30/2019 were compared with phenotypic DST results of Mycobacteria growth indicator tubes (MGIT). Standardized treatment algorithms were applied to design individualized therapies based on either genomic or phenotypic DST results, and discrepancies were further evaluated by determination of minimum inhibitory drug concentrations (MIC) using Sensititre MYCOTBI and UKMYC microtiter plates. RESULTS In 70 patients with MDR/RR-TB, agreement among 1048 pairwise comparisons of genomic and phenotypic DST was 86.3%; 76 (7.2%) results were discordant, and 68 (6.5%) could not be evaluated due to presence of polymorphisms with yet unknown implications for drug resistance. Importantly, 549/561 (97.9%) predictions of drug susceptibility were phenotypically confirmed in MGIT, and 27/64 (42.2%) false positive results were linked to previously described mutations mediating a low or moderate MIC increase. Virtually all drugs (99.0%) used in combination therapies that were inferred from genomic DST, were confirmed to be susceptible by pDST. CONCLUSIONS NGS-based genomic DST can reliably guide the design of effective MDR/RR-TB treatment regimens.
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Nadarajan D, Hillemann D, Kamara R, Foray L, Conteh OS, Merker M, Niemann S, Lau J, Njoya M, Kranzer K, Somoskovi A, Maurer FP. Evaluation of the Roche cobas MTB and MTB-RIF/INH Assays in Samples from Germany and Sierra Leone. J Clin Microbiol 2021; 59:e02983-20. [PMID: 33658264 PMCID: PMC8091830 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.02983-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 02/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The Roche cobas MTB and MTB-RIF/INH assays allow for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) nucleic acid and rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) resistance-associated mutations in an automated, high-throughput workflow. In this study, we evaluated the performance of these assays, employing samples from settings of low and high tuberculosis (TB) burdens. A total of 325 frozen, leftover respiratory samples collected from treatment-naive patients with presumptive TB in Germany (n = 280) and presumptive RIF-resistant TB in Sierra Leone (n = 45) were used in this study. cobas MTB results for detection of MTBC DNA from N-acetyl-l-cysteine-sodium hydroxide (NALC-NaOH)-treated samples were compared to culture results. Predictions of RIF and INH resistance by the cobas MTB-RIF/INH assay were compared to a composite reference standard (phenotypic drug susceptibility testing and line probe assay). Whole-genome sequencing was used to resolve discordances. The overall sensitivity of cobas MTB for detection of MTBC DNA in culture-positive samples (n = 102) was 89.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 81.7 to 93.9%). The specificity of cobas MTB was 98.6% (95% CI, 96.1 to 99.5%). Sensitivity and specificity for detection of RIF and INH resistance were 88.4% (95% CI, 75.5 to 94.9%) and 97.6% (95% CI, 87.4 to 99.6%) and 76.6% (95% CI, 62.8 to 86.4%) and 100.0% (95% CI, 90.8 to 100.0%), respectively. Discordant results for RIF and INH resistance were mainly due to uncommon mutations in samples from Sierra Leone that were not covered by the cobas MTB-RIF/INH assay. In conclusion, cobas MTB and MTB-RIF/INH assays provide accurate detection of MTBC DNA and resistance-associated mutations in respiratory samples. The influence of regional variations in the prevalence of resistance-conferring mutations requires further investigation.
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Shuaib YA, Khalil EA, Wieler LH, Schaible UE, Bakheit MA, Mohamed-Noor SE, Abdalla MA, Kerubo G, Andres S, Hillemann D, Richter E, Kranzer K, Niemann S, Merker M. Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Lineage 3 as Causative Agent of Pulmonary Tuberculosis, Eastern Sudan 1. Emerg Infect Dis 2021; 26:427-436. [PMID: 32091355 PMCID: PMC7045825 DOI: 10.3201/eid2603.191145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Pathogen-based factors associated with tuberculosis (TB) in eastern Sudan are not well defined. We investigated genetic diversity, drug resistance, and possible transmission clusters of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains by using a genomic epidemiology approach. We collected 383 sputum specimens at 3 hospitals in 2014 and 2016 from patients with symptoms suggestive of TB; of these, 171 grew MTBC strains. Whole-genome sequencing could be performed on 166 MTBC strains; phylogenetic classification revealed that most (73.4%; n = 122) belonged to lineage 3 (L3). Genome-based cluster analysis showed that 76 strains (45.9%) were grouped into 29 molecular clusters, comprising 2–8 strains/patients. Of the strains investigated, 9.0% (15/166) were multidrug resistant (MDR); 10 MDR MTBC strains were linked to 1 large MDR transmission network. Our findings indicate that L3 strains are the main causative agent of TB in eastern Sudan; MDR TB is caused mainly by transmission of MDR L3 strains.
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Merker M, Nikolaevskaya E, Kohl TA, Molina-Moya B, Pavlovska O, Brännberg P, Dudnyk A, Stokich V, Barilar I, Marynova I, Filipova T, Prat C, Sjöstedt A, Dominguez J, Rzhepishevska O, Niemann S. Multidrug- and Extensively Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing Clades, Ukraine, 2015. Emerg Infect Dis 2021; 26:481-490. [PMID: 32091369 PMCID: PMC7045844 DOI: 10.3201/eid2603.190525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) is an emerging threat to TB control in Ukraine, a country with the third highest XDR TB burden globally. We used whole-genome sequencing of a convenience sample to identify bacterial genetic and patient-related factors associated with MDR/XDR TB in this country. MDR/XDR TB was associated with 3 distinct Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex lineage 2 (Beijing) clades, Europe/Russia W148 outbreak, Central Asia outbreak, and Ukraine outbreak, which comprised 68.9% of all MDR/XDR TB strains from southern Ukraine. MDR/XDR TB was also associated with previous treatment for TB and urban residence. The circulation of Beijing outbreak strains harboring broad drug resistance, coupled with constraints in drug supply and limited availability of phenotypic drug susceptibility testing, needs to be considered when new TB management strategies are implemented in Ukraine.
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Beckert P, Sanchez-Padilla E, Merker M, Dreyer V, Kohl TA, Utpatel C, Köser CU, Barilar I, Ismail N, Omar SV, Klopper M, Warren RM, Hoffmann H, Maphalala G, Ardizzoni E, de Jong BC, Kerschberger B, Schramm B, Andres S, Kranzer K, Maurer FP, Bonnet M, Niemann S. MDR M. tuberculosis outbreak clone in Eswatini missed by Xpert has elevated bedaquiline resistance dated to the pre-treatment era. Genome Med 2020; 12:104. [PMID: 33239092 PMCID: PMC7687760 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-00793-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains not detected by commercial molecular drug susceptibility testing (mDST) assays due to the RpoB I491F resistance mutation are threatening the control of MDR tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in Eswatini. Methods We investigate the evolution and spread of MDR strains in Eswatini with a focus on bedaquiline (BDQ) and clofazimine (CFZ) resistance using whole-genome sequencing in two collections ((1) national drug resistance survey, 2009–2010; (2) MDR strains from the Nhlangano region, 2014–2017). Results MDR strains in collection 1 had a high cluster rate (95%, 117/123 MDR strains) with 55% grouped into the two largest clusters (gCL3, n = 28; gCL10, n = 40). All gCL10 isolates, which likely emerged around 1993 (95% highest posterior density 1987–1998), carried the mutation RpoB I491F that is missed by commercial mDST assays. In addition, 21 (53%) gCL10 isolates shared a Rv0678 M146T mutation that correlated with elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) to BDQ and CFZ compared to wild type isolates. gCL10 isolates with the Rv0678 M146T mutation were also detected in collection 2. Conclusion The high clustering rate suggests that transmission has been driving the MDR-TB epidemic in Eswatini for three decades. The presence of MDR strains in Eswatini that are not detected by commercial mDST assays and have elevated MICs to BDQ and CFZ potentially jeopardizes the successful implementation of new MDR-TB treatment guidelines. Measures to limit the spread of these outbreak isolates need to be implemented urgently.
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Lange C, Aarnoutse R, Chesov D, van Crevel R, Gillespie SH, Grobbel HP, Kalsdorf B, Kontsevaya I, van Laarhoven A, Nishiguchi T, Mandalakas A, Merker M, Niemann S, Köhler N, Heyckendorf J, Reimann M, Ruhwald M, Sanchez-Carballo P, Schwudke D, Waldow F, DiNardo AR. Perspective for Precision Medicine for Tuberculosis. Front Immunol 2020; 11:566608. [PMID: 33117351 PMCID: PMC7578248 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.566608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infectious disease that is mainly transmitted from human to human via infectious aerosols. Currently, tuberculosis is the leading cause of death by an infectious disease world-wide. In the past decade, the number of patients affected by tuberculosis has increased by ~20 percent and the emergence of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis challenges the goal of elimination of tuberculosis in the near future. For the last 50 years, management of patients with tuberculosis has followed a standardized management approach. This standardization neglects the variation in human susceptibility to infection, immune response, the pharmacokinetics of drugs, and the individual duration of treatment needed to achieve relapse-free cure. Here we propose a package of precision medicine-guided therapies that has the prospect to drive clinical management decisions, based on both host immunity and M. tuberculosis strains genetics. Recently, important scientific discoveries and technological advances have been achieved that provide a perspective for individualized rather than standardized management of patients with tuberculosis. For the individual selection of best medicines and host-directed therapies, personalized drug dosing, and treatment durations, physicians treating patients with tuberculosis will be able to rely on these advances in systems biology and to apply them at the bedside.
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Godfroid M, Dagan T, Merker M, Kohl TA, Diel R, Maurer FP, Niemann S, Kupczok A. Insertion and deletion evolution reflects antibiotics selection pressure in a Mycobacterium tuberculosis outbreak. PLoS Pathog 2020; 16:e1008357. [PMID: 32997707 PMCID: PMC7549793 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In genome evolution, genetic variants are the source of diversity, which natural selection acts upon. Treatment of human tuberculosis (TB) induces a strong selection pressure for the emergence of antibiotic resistance-conferring variants in the infecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains. MTB evolution in response to treatment has been intensively studied and mainly attributed to point substitutions. However, the frequency and contribution of insertions and deletions (indels) to MTB genome evolution remains poorly understood. Here, we analyzed a multi-drug resistant MTB outbreak for the presence of high-quality indels and substitutions. We find that indels are significantly enriched in genes conferring antibiotic resistance. Furthermore, we show that indels are inherited during the outbreak and follow a molecular clock with an evolutionary rate of 5.37e-9 indels/site/year, which is 23 times lower than the substitution rate. Inherited indels may co-occur with substitutions in genes along related biological pathways; examples are iron storage and resistance to second-line antibiotics. This suggests that epistatic interactions between indels and substitutions affect antibiotic resistance and compensatory evolution in MTB.
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Andres S, Merker M, Heyckendorf J, Kalsdorf B, Rumetshofer R, Indra A, Hofmann-Thiel S, Hoffmann H, Lange C, Niemann S, Maurer FP. Bedaquiline-Resistant Tuberculosis: Dark Clouds on the Horizon. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020; 201:1564-1568. [PMID: 32053752 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201909-1819le] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Merker M, Tueffers L, Vallier M, Groth EE, Sonnenkalb L, Unterweger D, Baines JF, Niemann S, Schulenburg H. Evolutionary Approaches to Combat Antibiotic Resistance: Opportunities and Challenges for Precision Medicine. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1938. [PMID: 32983122 PMCID: PMC7481325 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens is acknowledged by the WHO as a major global health crisis. It is estimated that in 2050 annually up to 10 million people will die from infections with drug resistant pathogens if no efficient countermeasures are implemented. Evolution of pathogens lies at the core of this crisis, which enables rapid adaptation to the selective pressures imposed by antimicrobial usage in both medical treatment and agriculture, consequently promoting the spread of resistance genes or alleles in bacterial populations. Approaches developed in the field of Evolutionary Medicine attempt to exploit evolutionary insight into these adaptive processes, with the aim to improve diagnostics and the sustainability of antimicrobial therapy. Here, we review the concept of evolutionary trade-offs in the development of AMR as well as new therapeutic approaches and their impact on host-microbiome-pathogen interactions. We further discuss the possible translation of evolution-informed treatments into clinical practice, considering both the rapid cure of the individual patients and the prevention of AMR.
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Kranzer K, Kalsdorf B, Heyckendorf J, Andres S, Merker M, Hofmann-Thiel S, Bloemberg GV, Hoffmann H, Niemann S, Lange C, Maurer FP. New World Health Organization Treatment Recommendations for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Are We Well Enough Prepared? Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020; 200:514-515. [PMID: 31026398 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201902-0260le] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Merker M, Kohl TA, Barilar I, Andres S, Fowler PW, Chryssanthou E, Ängeby K, Jureen P, Moradigaravand D, Parkhill J, Peacock SJ, Schön T, Maurer FP, Walker T, Köser C, Niemann S. Phylogenetically informative mutations in genes implicated in antibiotic resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Genome Med 2020; 12:27. [PMID: 32143680 PMCID: PMC7060619 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-00726-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A comprehensive understanding of the pre-existing genetic variation in genes associated with antibiotic resistance in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) is needed to accurately interpret whole-genome sequencing data for genotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST). METHODS We investigated mutations in 92 genes implicated in resistance to 21 anti-tuberculosis drugs using the genomes of 405 phylogenetically diverse MTBC strains. The role of phylogenetically informative mutations was assessed by routine phenotypic DST data for the first-line drugs isoniazid, rifampicin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide from a separate collection of over 7000 clinical strains. Selected mutations/strains were further investigated by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing. RESULTS Out of 547 phylogenetically informative mutations identified, 138 were classified as not correlating with resistance to first-line drugs. MIC testing did not reveal a discernible impact of a Rv1979c deletion shared by M. africanum lineage 5 strains on resistance to clofazimine. Finally, we found molecular evidence that some MTBC subgroups may be hyper-susceptible to bedaquiline and clofazimine by different loss-of-function mutations affecting a drug efflux pump subunit (MmpL5). CONCLUSIONS Our findings underline that the genetic diversity in MTBC has to be studied more systematically to inform the design of clinical trials and to define sound epidemiologic cut-off values (ECOFFs) for new and repurposed anti-tuberculosis drugs. In that regard, our comprehensive variant catalogue provides a solid basis for the interpretation of mutations in genotypic as well as in phenotypic DST assays.
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Klopper M, Heupink TH, Hill-Cawthorne G, Streicher EM, Dippenaar A, de Vos M, Abdallah AM, Limberis J, Merker M, Burns S, Niemann S, Dheda K, Posey J, Pain A, Warren RM. A landscape of genomic alterations at the root of a near-untreatable tuberculosis epidemic. BMC Med 2020; 18:24. [PMID: 32014024 PMCID: PMC6998097 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-019-1487-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2019] [Accepted: 12/24/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Atypical Beijing genotype Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains are widespread in South Africa and have acquired resistance to up to 13 drugs on multiple occasions. It is puzzling that these strains have retained fitness and transmissibility despite the potential fitness cost associated with drug resistance mutations. METHODS We conducted Illumina sequencing of 211 Beijing genotype M. tuberculosis isolates to facilitate the detection of genomic features that may promote acquisition of drug resistance and restore fitness in highly resistant atypical Beijing forms. Phylogenetic and comparative genomic analysis was done to determine changes that are unique to the resistant strains that also transmit well. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination for streptomycin and bedaquiline was done for a limited number of isolates to demonstrate a difference in MIC between isolates with and without certain variants. RESULTS Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that two clades of atypical Beijing strains have independently developed resistance to virtually all the potent drugs included in standard (pre-bedaquiline) drug-resistant TB treatment regimens. We show that undetected drug resistance in a progenitor strain was likely instrumental in this resistance acquisition. In this cohort, ethionamide (ethA A381P) resistance would be missed in first-line drug-susceptible isolates, and streptomycin (gidB L79S) resistance may be missed due to an MIC close to the critical concentration. Subsequent inadequate treatment historically led to amplification of resistance and facilitated spread of the strains. Bedaquiline resistance was found in a small number of isolates, despite lack of exposure to the drug. The highly resistant clades also carry inhA promoter mutations, which arose after ethA and katG mutations. In these isolates, inhA promoter mutations do not alter drug resistance, suggesting a possible alternative role. CONCLUSION The presence of the ethA mutation in otherwise susceptible isolates from ethionamide-naïve patients demonstrates that known exposure is not an adequate indicator of drug susceptibility. Similarly, it is demonstrated that bedaquiline resistance can occur without exposure to the drug. Inappropriate treatment regimens, due to missed resistance, leads to amplification of resistance, and transmission. We put these results into the context of current WHO treatment regimens, underscoring the risks of treatment without knowledge of the full drug resistance profile.
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Hunt M, Bradley P, Lapierre SG, Heys S, Thomsit M, Hall MB, Malone KM, Wintringer P, Walker TM, Cirillo DM, Comas I, Farhat MR, Fowler P, Gardy J, Ismail N, Kohl TA, Mathys V, Merker M, Niemann S, Omar SV, Sintchenko V, Smith G, van Soolingen D, Supply P, Tahseen S, Wilcox M, Arandjelovic I, Peto TEA, Crook DW, Iqbal Z. Antibiotic resistance prediction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis from genome sequence data with Mykrobe. Wellcome Open Res 2019; 4:191. [PMID: 32055708 PMCID: PMC7004237 DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.15603.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Two billion people are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, leading to 10 million new cases of active tuberculosis and 1.5 million deaths annually. Universal access to drug susceptibility testing (DST) has become a World Health Organization priority. We previously developed a software tool, Mykrobe predictor, which provided offline species identification and drug resistance predictions for M. tuberculosis from whole genome sequencing (WGS) data. Performance was insufficient to support the use of WGS as an alternative to conventional phenotype-based DST, due to mutation catalogue limitations. Here we present a new tool, Mykrobe, which provides the same functionality based on a new software implementation. Improvements include i) an updated mutation catalogue giving greater sensitivity to detect pyrazinamide resistance, ii) support for user-defined resistance catalogues, iii) improved identification of non-tuberculous mycobacterial species, and iv) an updated statistical model for Oxford Nanopore Technologies sequencing data. Mykrobe is released under MIT license at https://github.com/mykrobe-tools/mykrobe. We incorporate mutation catalogues from the CRyPTIC consortium et al. (2018) and from Walker et al. (2015), and make improvements based on performance on an initial set of 3206 and an independent set of 5845 M. tuberculosis Illumina sequences. To give estimates of error rates, we use a prospectively collected dataset of 4362 M. tuberculosis isolates. Using culture based DST as the reference, we estimate Mykrobe to be 100%, 95%, 82%, 99% sensitive and 99%, 100%, 99%, 99% specific for rifampicin, isoniazid, pyrazinamide and ethambutol resistance prediction respectively. We benchmark against four other tools on 10207 (=5845+4362) samples, and also show that Mykrobe gives concordant results with nanopore data. We measure the ability of Mykrobe-based DST to guide personalized therapeutic regimen design in the context of complex drug susceptibility profiles, showing 94% concordance of implied regimen with that driven by phenotypic DST, higher than all other benchmarked tools.
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Diel R, Kohl TA, Maurer FP, Merker M, Meywald Walter K, Hannemann J, Nienhaus A, Supply P, Niemann S. Accuracy of whole-genome sequencing to determine recent tuberculosis transmission: an 11-year population-based study in Hamburg, Germany. Eur Respir J 2019; 54:13993003.01154-2019. [PMID: 31467121 PMCID: PMC6881715 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01154-2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 08/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Controlling human-to-human tuberculosis (TB) transmission is key for achieving the targets of the End TB Strategy set by the World Health Organization (WHO) [1, 2]. Stopping TB transmission, in large cities especially, is a challenging top priority worldwide [3]. Metropolitan areas have higher TB case notification rates than the rest of a country, as they concentrate high-risk groups, such as homeless people, drug users and migrants often from (other) high TB incidence settings. Opportunities for transmission are amplified by population density and complex social interactions, regularly leading to large, temporally extended transmission networks [3]. Targeted interventions to interrupt transmission require the combination of effective genotyping of TB strains with enhanced epidemiological investigation. While classic IS6110 DNA fingerprinting and 24-locus MIRU–VNTR (mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units–variable number of tandem repeats) typing provide standardised and easily computable typing results with an online nomenclature system, several studies have now demonstrated that whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has a superior discriminatory power, allowing for an unparalleled resolution of outbreak strains [4–10]. However, predictivity of WGS for detecting transmission in metropolitan areas has not yet been quantified versus most deterministic references, i.e. tangible epidemiological links identified by ad hoc investigation, at extended time and population scales. WGS typing with a five-SNP c:d:ut-off delineates recent transmission chains with highest accuracy and also provides high-resolution resistance patterns, thus enabling direct clinical benefitshttp://bit.ly/2Pk37Wo
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Engström A, Antonenka U, Kadyrov A, Kalmambetova G, Kranzer K, Merker M, Kabirov O, Parpieva N, Rajabov A, Sahalchyk E, Sayfudtinov Z, Niemann S, Hoffmann H. Population structure of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Central Asia. BMC Infect Dis 2019; 19:908. [PMID: 31664926 PMCID: PMC6819405 DOI: 10.1186/s12879-019-4480-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern threathing the success of TB control efforts, and this is particularily problematic in Central Asia. Here, we present the first analysis of the population structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates in the Central Asian republics Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Methods The study set consisted of 607 isolates with 235 from Uzbekistan, 206 from Tajikistan, and 166 from Kyrgyzstan. 24-loci MIRU-VNTR (Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Units - Variable Number of Tandem Repeats) typing and spoligotyping were combined for genotyping. In addition, phenotypic drug suceptibility was performed. Results The population structure mainly comprises strains of the Beijing lineage (411/607). 349 of the 411 Beijing isolates formed clusters, compared to only 33 of the 196 isolates from other clades. Beijing 94–32 (n = 145) and 100–32 (n = 70) formed the largest clusters. Beijing isolates were more frequently multidrug-resistant, pre-extensively resistant (pre-XDR)- or XDR-TB than other genotypes. Conclusions Beijing clusters 94–32 and 100–32 are the dominant MTB genotypes in Central Asia. The relative size of 100–32 compared to previous studies in Kazakhstan and its unequal geographic distribution support the hypothesis of its more recent emergence in Central Asia. The data also demonstrate that clonal spread of resistant TB strains, particularly of the Beijing lineage, is a root of the so far uncontroled MDR-TB epidemic in Central Asia.
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Arandjelović I, Merker M, Richter E, Kohl TA, Savić B, Soldatović I, Wirth T, Vuković D, Niemann S. Longitudinal Outbreak of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in a Hospital Setting, Serbia. Emerg Infect Dis 2019; 25:555-558. [PMID: 30789133 PMCID: PMC6390760 DOI: 10.3201/eid2503.181220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
A retrospective population-based molecular epidemiologic study of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains in Serbia (2008–2014) revealed an outbreak of TUR genotype strains in a psychiatric hospital starting around 1990. Drug unavailability, poor infection control, and schizophrenia likely fueled acquisition of additional resistance and bacterial fitness–related mutations over 2 decades.
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Shitikov E, Guliaev A, Bespyatykh J, Malakhova M, Kolchenko S, Smirnov G, Merker M, Niemann S, Mokrousov I, Ilina E, Govorun V. The role of IS6110 in micro- and macroevolution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage 2. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2019; 139:106559. [PMID: 31302224 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2019.106559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The insertion sequence 6110 (IS6110) is the most studied transposable element in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex species. The element plays a significant role in genome plasticity of this important human pathogen, but still many causes and consequences of its transposition have not been fully studied. Here, we analyzed insertion sites for 902 Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineage 2 strains using whole-genome sequencing data. In total, 17,972 insertions were found, corresponding to 827 independent positions in the genome of the reference strain H37Rv. To trace the history of IS6110 expansion since proto-Beijing strains up to modern sublineages, we looked at the distribution of IS6110 across the genome-wide SNP-based phylogenetic tree. This analysis demonstrated a stepwise transposition of IS6110 that occurs by «copy-and-paste» mechanism. Additionally, we detected evolutionary-scale and sublineage-specific integration sites, which can be used for typing and for understanding the reasons for the success of the lineage. A significant part of such insertions affected the genes that are essential for the pathogen. Finally, we identified and confirmed deletions that occurred between differently oriented elements, which is uncommon for this family of insertion elements and appears to be another mechanism of genome variability.
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Polsfuss S, Hofmann-Thiel S, Merker M, Krieger D, Niemann S, Rüssmann H, Schönfeld N, Hoffmann H, Kranzer K. Emergence of Low-level Delamanid and Bedaquiline Resistance During Extremely Drug-resistant Tuberculosis Treatment. Clin Infect Dis 2019; 69:1229-1231. [DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciz074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Two new drugs, delamanid and bedaquiline, have recently been approved for treatment of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis. Here, we report a case of clofazimine, bedaquiline, and low-level delamanid resistances acquired during treatment of a patient with XDR tuberculosis.
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Havlicek J, Dachsel B, Slickers P, Andres S, Beckert P, Feuerriegel S, Niemann S, Merker M, Labugger I. Rapid microarray-based assay for detection of pyrazinamide resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis 2018; 94:147-154. [PMID: 30733004 PMCID: PMC6531379 DOI: 10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2018.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a key antibiotic for the treatment of drug susceptible tuberculosis. PZA-resistance is mainly mediated by mutations in the pncA gene; however the current gold standard is a phenotypic drug susceptibility test requiring a well-adjusted pH-value for reliable results. Our melting curve assay detects a non-wild type genotype in selected pncA regions in at least 3750 gene copies/mL within 2.5 hours. The prototype assay was further evaluated by analyzing 271 Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates from Swaziland originating from a previously published drug resistance survey and including 118 isolates with pncA mutations. Sensitivity was 83% (95% CI 75-89%) and specificity was 100% (95% CI 98-100%). Under consideration of further improvements with regard to the target range our melting curve assay has the potential as a rapid rule-in test for PZA susceptibility (wild type pncA), however false resistant results (mutant pncA, but PZA susceptible) cannot be ruled out completely.
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Al-Ghafli H, Kohl TA, Merker M, Varghese B, Halees A, Niemann S, Al-Hajoj S. Drug-resistance profiling and transmission dynamics of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Saudi Arabia revealed by whole genome sequencing. Infect Drug Resist 2018; 11:2219-2229. [PMID: 30519060 PMCID: PMC6237142 DOI: 10.2147/idr.s181124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In Saudi Arabia, cross-border transmission of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains might be particularly fostered by high immigration rates. Herein, we aimed to elucidate the transmission dynamics of MDR-MTBC strains and reveal a detailed prediction of all resistance-conferring mutations for the first- and second-line drugs. Methods We investigated all MDR-MTBC strains collected between 2015 and 2017 from provincial mycobacteria referral laboratories and compared demographic and clinical parameters to a cohort of non-MDR-TB patients using a whole genome sequencing approach. Clusters were defined based on a maximum strain-to-strain genetic distance of five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as surrogate marker for recent transmission, and then investigated molecular drug-resistance markers (37 genes). Results Forty-eight (67.6%) MDR-MTBC strains were grouped in 14 different clusters, ranging in size from two to six strains; 22.5% (16/71) of all MDR-MTBC isolates were predicted to be fully resistant to all five first-line drugs, and five strains (7.0%) exhibited fluoroquinolone resistance. Moreover, we revealed the presence of 12 compensatory mutations as well as 26 non-synonymous SNPs in the rpoC gene and non-hotspot region in rpoB, respectively. Conclusion Optimized TB molecular surveillance, diagnosis, and patient management are urgently needed to contain MDR-MTBC transmission and prevent the development of additional drug resistance.
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Meehan CJ, Moris P, Kohl TA, Pečerska J, Akter S, Merker M, Utpatel C, Beckert P, Gehre F, Lempens P, Stadler T, Kaswa MK, Kühnert D, Niemann S, de Jong BC. The relationship between transmission time and clustering methods in Mycobacterium tuberculosis epidemiology. EBioMedicine 2018; 37:410-416. [PMID: 30341041 PMCID: PMC6284411 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2018.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 09/17/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tracking recent transmission is a vital part of controlling widespread pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Multiple methods with specific performance characteristics exist for detecting recent transmission chains, usually by clustering strains based on genotype similarities. With such a large variety of methods available, informed selection of an appropriate approach for determining transmissions within a given setting/time period is difficult. METHODS This study combines whole genome sequence (WGS) data derived from 324 isolates collected 2005-2010 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a high endemic setting, with phylodynamics to unveil the timing of transmission events posited by a variety of standard genotyping methods. Clustering data based on Spoligotyping, 24-loci MIRU-VNTR typing, WGS based SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) and core genome multi locus sequence typing (cgMLST) typing were evaluated. FINDINGS Our results suggest that clusters based on Spoligotyping could encompass transmission events that occurred almost 200 years prior to sampling while 24-loci-MIRU-VNTR often represented three decades of transmission. Instead, WGS based genotyping applying low SNP or cgMLST allele thresholds allows for determination of recent transmission events, e.g. in timespans of up to 10 years for a 5 SNP/allele cut-off. INTERPRETATION With the rapid uptake of WGS methods in surveillance and outbreak tracking, the findings obtained in this study can guide the selection of appropriate clustering methods for uncovering relevant transmission chains within a given time-period. For high resolution cluster analyses, WGS-SNP and cgMLST based analyses have similar clustering/timing characteristics even for data obtained from a high incidence setting.
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Merker M, Barbier M, Cox H, Rasigade JP, Feuerriegel S, Kohl TA, Diel R, Borrell S, Gagneux S, Nikolayevskyy V, Andres S, Nübel U, Supply P, Wirth T, Niemann S. Compensatory evolution drives multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Central Asia. eLife 2018; 7:38200. [PMID: 30373719 PMCID: PMC6207422 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 80] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial factors favoring the unprecedented multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) epidemic in the former Soviet Union remain unclear. We utilized whole genome sequencing and Bayesian statistics to analyze the evolutionary history, temporal emergence of resistance and transmission networks of MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates from Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan (2001-2006). One clade (termed Central Asian outbreak, CAO) dating back to 1974 (95% HPD 1969-1982) subsequently acquired resistance mediating mutations to eight anti-TB drugs. Introduction of standardized WHO-endorsed directly observed treatment, short-course in Karakalpakstan in 1998 likely selected for CAO-strains, comprising 75% of sampled MDR-TB isolates in 2005/2006. CAO-isolates were also identified in a published cohort from Russia (2008-2010). Similarly, the presence of mutations supposed to compensate bacterial fitness deficits was associated with transmission success and higher drug resistance rates. The genetic make-up of these MDR-strains threatens the success of both empirical and standardized MDR-TB therapies, including the newly WHO-endorsed short MDR-TB regimen in Uzbekistan.
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Gröschel MI, Walker TM, van der Werf TS, Lange C, Niemann S, Merker M. Pathogen-based precision medicine for drug-resistant tuberculosis. PLoS Pathog 2018; 14:e1007297. [PMID: 30335850 PMCID: PMC6193714 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1007297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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