Multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis (TB) are a major public health threat because of reduced treatment options and poor patient outcomes. New antimicrobials and regimens have been developed in recent years, but their effectiveness has been hampered by the rise and spread of drug-resistant strains. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) has emerged as a tool able to revolutionise TB surveillance and the clinical management of TB. This approach is now widely used by public health agencies in detecting outbreaks and transmission chains, thus supporting the formulation of evidence-based health policies. Moreover, WGS can predict the drug-susceptibility profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) strains, often in combination with phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) determination for the optimal clinical management of drug-resistant TB [1].

由于治疗选择减少和患者预后不佳，耐多药 (MDR) 和广泛耐药 (XDR) 结核病 (TB) 是主要的公共卫生威胁。近年来已经开发了新的抗微生物药物和方案，但它们的有效性受到耐药菌株的增加和传播的阻碍。全基因组测序 (WGS) 已成为能够彻底改变结核病监测和临床管理的工具。这种方法现在被公共卫生机构广泛用于检测疫情和传播链，从而支持制定循证卫生政策。此外，WGS 可以预测结核分枝杆菌的药物敏感性特征 复杂 (MTBC) 菌株，通常与表型抗菌药敏试验 (AST) 和最低抑菌浓度 (MIC) 测定相结合，以实现耐药结核病的最佳临床管理 [1]。