Control of mycobacterial infections focusing on zoonotic tuberculosis and Buruli ulcer in humans and livestock will use molecular based techniques to differentiate species of mycobacterial isolates with a zoonotic potential for transmission and to determine their drug susceptibility patterns to advise policy changes on existing treatment options.

Objectives

• To differentiate Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates to the species level from TB disease prevalence surveys, selected clinics including MDR clinics and animal sources using GenoType MTBC (Hain Lifescience GmbH, Nehren, Germany) and Spoligotyping
• To differentiate Non-Tuberculous Mycobacteria (NTM) isolates to the species levelfrom TB disease prevalence surveys, selected clinics including MDR clinics and animal sources using GenoType CM/AS (Hain Lifescience GmbH, Nehren, Germany)
• To determine the first and second line drug susceptibility patterns of MTBC isolates using BD BACTEC MGIT 960 SIRE test kit (Becton Dickinson, Sparks, MD, USA)
• To determine the drug susceptibility patterns of NTM isolates
• To determine the presence of mutations associated with drug resistance by sequencing

This TTP is led by Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR, Ghana) and Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA, Tanzania) with partnerships involving Institut de Recherche en Elevage et en Développement (IRED, Chad), Biosciences eastern and central Africa – International Livestock Research Institute (BecA-ILRI Hub, Kenya), National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR, Tanzania), Kilimanjaro Clinical Research Institute-Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCRI-KCMC, Tanzania), and Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS).