The emergence of multi and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) has become a major public health concern, especially in India where the burden of MDR-TB bacteria is the highest in the world. However, a new study by a group of scientists led by CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) director Vinay Kumar Nandicoori has found a way to diagnose MDR/XDR-TB early by identifying mutations in DNA repair genes. The study, published in eLIFE, discovered a novel mechanism for the evolution of drug resistance in Mycobacterium Tuberculosis (Mtb) which causes TB in humans, specifically, perturbed DNA repair. By analysing genome sequence data of bacterial strains from TB patients in other parts of the world, the scientists found that DNA repair was perturbed exclusively in the MDR/XDR strains. Early detection could help clinicians develop better drug regimens and curb the spread of drug-resistant TB.
