The purpose of this study was to investigate the minimum level of heteroresistance that predicts poor tuberculosis treatment outcomes. This retrospective study enrolled 45 new tuberculosis patients with varied treatment outcomes and 16 drug-susceptible retreatment cases. Pretreatment isolates from these 61 patients were whole genome sequenced to detect heteroresistance. Heteroresistance was not found in isolates from any of the new patients, but was detected in isolates from retreatment patients who were nevertheless cured. The results of our small series of patients suggest that heteroresistance <1%, the threshold used to define resistance with the phenotypic proportion method, is not associated with poor treatment outcomes.

本研究的目的是调查预测结核病治疗效果不佳的最低异抗性水平。这项回顾性研究招募了 45 名治疗结果不同的新结核病患者和 16 例药物敏感的复治病例。对这 61 名患者的预处理分离株进行全基因组测序以检测异抗性。在来自任何新患者的分离株中未发现异抗性，但在来自仍治愈的再治疗患者的分离株中检测到。我们的一小部分患者的结果表明，异抗性<1%，即用表型比例法定义抗性的阈值，与不良治疗结果无关。