Genomic Analysis of Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains From Patients in Kazakhstan

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease that remains an essential public health problem in many countries. Despite decreasing numbers of new cases worldwide, the incidence of antibiotic-resistant forms (multidrug resistant and extensively drug-resistant) of TB is increasing. Next-generation sequencing technologies provide a high-throughput approach to identify known and novel potential genetic variants that are associated with drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). There are limited reports and data related to whole-genome characteristics of drug-resistant Mtb strains circulating in Kazakhstan. Here, we report whole-genome sequencing and analysis results of eight multidrug-resistant strains collected from TB patients in Kazakhstan. Genotyping and validation of all strains by MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping methodologies revealed that these strains belong to the Beijing family. The spectrum of specific and potentially novel genomic variants (single-nucleotide polymorphisms, insertions, and deletions) related to drug resistance was identified and annotated. ResFinder, CARD, and CASTB antibiotic resistance databases were used for the characterization of genetic variants in genes associated with drug resistance. Our results provide reference data and genomic profiles of multidrug-resistant isolates for further comparative studies and investigations of genetic patterns in drug-resistant Mtb strains.