Molecular genetic characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated from newly identified tuberculosis patients in the Republic of Azerbaijan

In order to facilitate the early diagnosis of drug-resistant tuberculosis, a total of 198 sputum samples were subjected to analysis using the “TB-TEST” molecular genetic diagnostic kit. The samples were obtained from primary patients presenting with a range of clinical forms of pulmonary tuberculosis. The use of a molecular-genetic assay with high sensitivity and specificity for the determination of drug susceptibility in the tuberculosis pathogen markedly accelerates the diagnosis process, enabling the prescription of a rational therapeutic regimen within a timeframe of 2-3 days upon admission to the clinic. The method simultaneously identifies mutations in the rpoB, katG, inhA, ahpC, embB, rrs, eis, gyrA, gyrB genes, and determines the primary clinically significant genotypes of M. tuberculosis. This enables prompt and targeted treatment adjustments.