Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Reevaluation of the Critical Concentration for Drug Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis against Pyrazinamide Using Wild-Type MIC Distributions and pncA Gene Sequencing

Werngren, J. ; Sturegård, Erik LU ; Jureen, P. ; Angeby, K. ; Hoffner, S. and Schon, T. (2012) In Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 56(3). p.1253-1257
Abstract
Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a potent first-line agent for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) with activity also against a significant part of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. Since PZA is active only at acid pH, testing for susceptibility to PZA is difficult and insufficiently reproducible. The recommended critical concentration for PZA susceptibility (MIC, 100 mg/liter) used in the Bactec systems (460 and MGIT 960) has not been critically evaluated against wild-type MIC distributions in clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Using the Bactec MGIT 960 system, we determined the PZA MICs for 46 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates and compared the results to pncA sequencing and previously obtained Bactec 460 data. For... (More)
Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a potent first-line agent for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) with activity also against a significant part of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. Since PZA is active only at acid pH, testing for susceptibility to PZA is difficult and insufficiently reproducible. The recommended critical concentration for PZA susceptibility (MIC, 100 mg/liter) used in the Bactec systems (460 and MGIT 960) has not been critically evaluated against wild-type MIC distributions in clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Using the Bactec MGIT 960 system, we determined the PZA MICs for 46 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates and compared the results to pncA sequencing and previously obtained Bactec 460 data. For consecutive clinical isolates (n = 15), the epidemiological wild-type cutoff (ECOFF) for PZA was 64 mg/liter (MIC distribution range, <= 8 to 64 mg/liter), and no pncA gene mutations were detected. In strains resistant in both Bactec systems (n = 18), the PZA MICs ranged from 256 to >= 1,024 mg/liter. The discordances between pncA sequencing, susceptibility results in Bactec 460, and MIC determinations in Bactec MGIT 960 were mainly observed in strains with MICs close to or at the ECOFF. We conclude that in general, wild-type and resistant strains were clearly separated and correlated to pncA mutations, although some isolates with MICs close to the ECOFF cause reproducibility problems within and between methods. To solve this issue, we suggest that isolates with MICs of <= 64 mg/liter be classified susceptible, that an intermediary category be introduced at 128 mg/liter, and that strains with MICs of >= 128 mg/liter be classified resistant. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
volume
56
issue
3
pages
1253 - 1257
publisher
American Society for Microbiology
external identifiers
  • wos:000300623300014
  • scopus:84857172767
ISSN
1098-6596
DOI
10.1128/AAC.05894-11
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
e35e006f-2625-4607-bf7c-a7f78ae8c968 (old id 2379146)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:50:05
date last changed
2022-02-27 04:46:35
@article{e35e006f-2625-4607-bf7c-a7f78ae8c968,
  abstract     = {{Pyrazinamide (PZA) is a potent first-line agent for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) with activity also against a significant part of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains. Since PZA is active only at acid pH, testing for susceptibility to PZA is difficult and insufficiently reproducible. The recommended critical concentration for PZA susceptibility (MIC, 100 mg/liter) used in the Bactec systems (460 and MGIT 960) has not been critically evaluated against wild-type MIC distributions in clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Using the Bactec MGIT 960 system, we determined the PZA MICs for 46 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates and compared the results to pncA sequencing and previously obtained Bactec 460 data. For consecutive clinical isolates (n = 15), the epidemiological wild-type cutoff (ECOFF) for PZA was 64 mg/liter (MIC distribution range, &lt;= 8 to 64 mg/liter), and no pncA gene mutations were detected. In strains resistant in both Bactec systems (n = 18), the PZA MICs ranged from 256 to &gt;= 1,024 mg/liter. The discordances between pncA sequencing, susceptibility results in Bactec 460, and MIC determinations in Bactec MGIT 960 were mainly observed in strains with MICs close to or at the ECOFF. We conclude that in general, wild-type and resistant strains were clearly separated and correlated to pncA mutations, although some isolates with MICs close to the ECOFF cause reproducibility problems within and between methods. To solve this issue, we suggest that isolates with MICs of &lt;= 64 mg/liter be classified susceptible, that an intermediary category be introduced at 128 mg/liter, and that strains with MICs of &gt;= 128 mg/liter be classified resistant.}},
  author       = {{Werngren, J. and Sturegård, Erik and Jureen, P. and Angeby, K. and Hoffner, S. and Schon, T.}},
  issn         = {{1098-6596}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{1253--1257}},
  publisher    = {{American Society for Microbiology}},
  series       = {{Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy}},
  title        = {{Reevaluation of the Critical Concentration for Drug Susceptibility Testing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis against Pyrazinamide Using Wild-Type MIC Distributions and pncA Gene Sequencing}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/AAC.05894-11}},
  doi          = {{10.1128/AAC.05894-11}},
  volume       = {{56}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}