Mutations associated with in vitro resistance to bedaquiline in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in Australia

Genome-wide analysis of 517 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from New South Wales, Australia, have identified previously reported and 8 new mutations in Rv0678 and atpE genes linked to in vitro resistance to bedaquiline, a new class of antimycobacterial drugs. These mutations were present in 2.9% of prospectively sequenced genomes but in 10.6% of strains that were phenotypically multidrug-resistant. However only 14% of isolates with these mutations demonstrated elevated minimum inhibitory concentrations to bedaquiline.