Prevalence and Risk Factors of Primary Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in China

ObjectiveTo investigatetheprevalence of primary drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) and associated risk factors in China.We also explored factors contributing tothe transmission of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). MethodsA total of 2794 representative,Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from treatment-naive patients were subjected to drug susceptibility testing, and risk factors for drug-resistant TBwere analyzed. We also analyzed MDR-TB strain sublineages, drug-resistance-conferring mutations, and risk factors associated with clustered primary MDR strains. ResultsAmong 2794Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from treatment-naive patients, the prevalence of any resistance to first-line drugs was 33.2%andthe prevalence of MDR-TB was 5.7%. We did not find any risk factors significantly associated with resistance to first-line drugs.The93 primary MDR-TB isolates were classified into six sublineages, of which, 75 (80.6%) isolates were the RD105-deleted Beijing lineage.The largest sublineage included 65 (69.9%) isolates with concurrent deletions of RD105, RD207, and RD181.Twenty-nine (31.2%) primary MDR strains grouped in clusters;MDR isolates in clusters were more likely to have S531LrpoBmutation. ConclusionThis study indicates that primary drug-resistantTBand MDR-TBstrains are prevalent in China,and multiplemeasures should be taken toaddress drug-resistant TB.