Molecular characterisation of multi-drug resistant isolates of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Malaysia

The rapid identification of resistance to primary anti-tuberculous agents is essential for the efficient treatment and control of multidrug resistant (MDR) Mycobacteria tuberculosis (MTB) strains. It is known that resistance to rifampicin (RIF) and isoniazid (INH) is a key factor in determining the effectiveness of the currently recommended standard treatment regimens. In this study, three loci associated with drug resistance were selected for characterization; they were rpoB (RIF), katG and inhA (INH). A total of 129 sequential isolates of M. tuberculosis were found to be both RIF and INH resistant (MDR) by conventional microbiological testing were screened for mutations associated with resistance to these drugs based on PCR amplification and followed by two molecular methods, sequence and restriction analysis

Genomic diversity of SARS-CoV-2 in Malaysia

More than a year after its first appearance in December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic is still on a rampage in many parts of the world. Although several vaccines have been approved for emergency use, the emergence and rapid spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants have sparked fears of vaccine failure due to immune evasion. Massive viral genome sequencing has been recommended to track the genetic changes that could lead to adverse consequences. Methods We sequenced SARS-CoV-2 respiratory isolates from the National Public Health Laboratory, Malaysia and examined them together with viral genomes deposited in GISAID by other Malaysian researchers, to understand the evolutionary trend of the virus circulating in the country. We studied the distribution of virus lineages and site-wise mutations, analysed genetic clustering with the goeBURST full Minimum Spanning Tree algorithm, examined the trend of viral nucleotide diversity over time and performed nucleotide substitution association analyses