Pyrosequencing to resolve discrepant Xpert MTB/RIF and Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube 960

Delayed diagnosis of drug resistance has been a major obstacle to proper management and control of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). Expanded access to rapid molecular diagnostics such as Xpert MTB/RIF has been helpful, but has generated confusion about how to interpret genotype-phenotype discordance. Optimal management is not clearly defined for patients with rifampin resistance by Xpert MTB/RIF but rifampin susceptibility by phenotypic testing. To resolve this discrepancy, we performed pyrosequencing of discordant isolates identified at a reference laboratory over a 6-month period. We present here strategies to address genotype-phenotype discordance using sequencing.