A precision overview of genomic resistance screening in Ecuadorian isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using web-based bioinformatics tools.
Gabriel Morey-LeónPaulina M Mejía-PonceJuan Carlos Granda PardoKaren Muñoz-MawyinJuan Carlos Fernández-CadenaEvelyn García-MoreiraDerly Andrade-MolinaCuauhtémoc Licona-CassaniLuisa BernáPublished in: PloS one (2023)
Tuberculosis, an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, most commonly affects the lungs and is often spread through the air when infected people cough, sneeze, or spit. However, despite the existence of effective drug treatment, patient adherence, long duration of treatment, and late diagnosis have reduced the effectiveness of therapy and increased drug resistance. The increase in resistant cases, added to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, has highlighted the importance of implementing efficient and timely diagnostic methodologies worldwide. The significance of our research is in evaluating and identifying a more efficient and user-friendly web-based tool to characterize resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis by whole-genome sequencing, which will allow more routine application to improve TB strain surveillance programs locally.