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Ethambutol (EMB) is used as a part of drug regimens for treatment of tuberculosis (TB). Susceptibility ofMycobacterium tuberculosiscomplex (MTBC) isolates to EMB can be discerned by DNA sequencing to detect mutations in theembBgene associated with resistance. US Public Health Laboratories (PHL) primarily use growth-based drug susceptibility test (DST) methods to determine EMB resistance. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides a service for molecular detection of drug resistance (MDDR) by DNA sequencing and concurrent growth-based DST using agar proportion. PHL and CDC test results were compared for 211 MTBC samples submitted to CDC from September 2009 through February 2011. Concordance between growth-based DST results from PHL and CDC was 88.2%. A growth-based comparison of 39 samples, where anembBmutation associated with EMB resistance was detected, revealed a higher percentage of EMB resistance by CDC (84.6%) than by PHL (59.0%) which was significant (Pvalue = 0.002). Discordance between all growth-based test results from PHL and CDC was also significant (Pvalue = 0.003). Most discordance was linked to false susceptibility using the BACTEC™MGIT™960 (MGIT) growth-based system. Our analysis supports coalescing growth-based and molecular results for an informed interpretation of potential EMB resistance.

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) are defined by resistance to at least rifampin (RMP) and isoniazid (INH). Rapid and accurate detection of multidrug resistance is essential for effective treatment and interruption of disease transmission of tuberculosis (TB). Overdiagnosis of MDR TB may result in treatment with second-line drugs that are more costly, less effective, and more poorly tolerated than first-line drugs. CDC offers rapid confirmation of MDR TB by the molecular detection of drug resistance (MDDR) for mutations associated with resistance to RMP and INH along with analysis for resistance to other first-line and second-line drugs. Simultaneously, CDC does growth-based phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST) by the indirect agar proportion method for a panel of first-line and second-line antituberculosis drugs. We reviewed discordance between molecular and phenotypic DST for INH and RMP for 285 isolates submitted as MTBC to CDC from September 2009 to February 2011. We compared CDC's results with those from the submitting public health laboratories (PHL). Concordances between molecular and phenotypic testing at CDC were 97.4% for RMP and 92.5% for INH resistance. Concordances between CDC's molecular testing and PHL DST results were 93.9% for RMP and 90.0% for INH. Overall concordance between CDC molecular and PHL DST results was 91.7% for RMP and INH collectively. Discordance was primarily attributable to the absence of known INH resistance mutations in isolates found to be INH resistant by DST and detection of mutations associated with low-level RMP resistance in isolates that were RMP susceptible by phenotypic DST. Both molecular and phenotypic test results should be considered for the diagnosis of MDR TB.