INTEGRATION OF WHOLE-GENOME SEQUENCING INTO NATIONAL STRATEGIES FOR THE CONTROL OF DRUG-RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS

This study evaluates the integration of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) into the national tuberculosis (TB) control strategy to detect and monitor drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. A total of 280 clinical isolates from MDR and XDR-TB patients were sequenced and analyzed for resistance-associated mutations. The most frequent mutations were found in katG, rpoB, gyrA, and rrl. Beijing lineage dominated the population, accounting for 62% of all isolates. WGS reduced the time to resistance detection by 10–14 days compared to phenotypic methods. The findings demonstrate WGS as a reliable and rapid tool to support precision treatment and strengthen national TB surveillance systems.