MTBDRplus and MTBDRsl for simultaneous diagnosis of gastrointestinal tuberculosis and detection of first‐line and second‐line drug resistance

Background and Aim Emergence of drug resistance, especially to second‐line drugs, hampers tuberculosis elimination efforts. The present study aimed to evaluate MTBDRplus and MTBDRsl assays for detecting first‐line and second‐line drug resistance, respectively, in gastrointestinal tuberculosis (GITB). Methods Thirty ileocecal biopsy specimens, processed in the Department of Microbiology between 2012 and 2022, that showed growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis on culture were included in the study. DNA, extracted from culture, was subjected to MTBDRplus and MTBDRsl (Hain Lifescience GmbH, Nehren, Germany), following manufacturer's instructions. Their performance was compared against phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (pDST) and gene sequencing. Results Out of the 30 specimens, 4 (13.33%) were mono‐isoniazid resistant, 4 (13.33%) were multidrug resistant (MDR), 2 (6.67%) were pre‐extensively drug resistant (pre‐XDR), and 2 (6.67%) were mono‐fluoroquinolone resistant. The results were 100% concordant with pDST and gene sequencing. Conclusions In the wake of growing drug resistance in all forms of extrapulmonary tuberculosis, including GITB, MTBDRplus and MTBDRsl are reliable tools for screening of resistance to both first‐line and second‐line drugs.