Mutations at position 306 of embB (embB306) have been proposed as a marker for ethambutol resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis; however, recent reports of embB306 mutations in ethambutol-susceptible isolates caused us to question the biological role of this mutation. We tested 1,020 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates with different drug susceptibility patterns and of different geographical o...

embB306 mutants were detected in both ethambutol (EMB)-resistant and EMB-susceptible strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains had a higher proportion of embB306 mutants than non-MDR strains (odds ratio, 6.78; P < 0.001). The embB306 locus is a candidate marker for rapid detection of MDR and extremely drug resistant tuberculosis.

embB306 mutations are potential markers for detecting ethambutol resistance in clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. However, more recently, embB306 mutations have been found in ethambutol susceptible isolates and an association with broad drug resistance rather than ethambutol resistance has been reported. To further investigate this question, we analyzed the association between embB30...

In this study, our objectives was to analyze the molecular characteristics of mutation at embB codon306 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Qingdao by pyrosequencing technology, and to assess the value of embB codon306 used as a molecular marker to diagnose multidrug resistant (MDR) TB strains. Pyrosequencing was used to detect mutations at embB codon306 among M. tuberculosis isolates from tubercu...

We analyzed 159 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates (101 ethambutol [EMB]-resistant strains, 33 multidrug-resistant but not EMB-resistant strains, and 25 fully susceptible strains) for the presence of mutations in embB codon 306 (embB306). Mutations were detected only in EMB-resistant strains (n = 69; 68%), thus confirming the significance of embB306 mutations for the prediction of resistance t...

The relation of ethambutol resistance to embB mutations remains unclear, and there are no reports on ethambutol resistance from the caribbean. We examined the sequence of embB in 57 distinct Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) and non-MDR strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, mostly from Cuba and the Dominican Republic. embB306 codon mutations were found exclusively in MDR-TB, but in both ethambutol se...

Background & Objective: Mutations in embB306 gene and their association with resistance to ethambutol (EMB) in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) have not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the point-mutations in emb306B gene and their association with resistance to EMB in M. tuberculosis. Materials & Methods: This case (M. tuberculosis resistant to EMB...

OBJECTIVES Mechanisms of resistance to ethambutol in Mycobacterium tuberculosis remain inadequately described. Although there is mounting evidence that mutations of codon 306 in embB play a key role, a significant number of phenotypically ethambutol-resistant strains do not carry mutations in this codon. Here, other mutations in the embCAB operon are suggested to be involved in resistance devel...

OBJECTIVES To determine the association between embB mutations and drug resistance, and to further investigate the mechanism of embB mutations involved in the development of ethambutol and multidrug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. METHODS One hundred and thirty-eight multidrug-resistant clinical M. tuberculosis isolates, including 86 ethambutol-resistant and 52 ethambutol-susceptibl...

A total of 183 epidemiologically unlinked Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates collected in the St. Petersburg area of Russia from 1996 to 2001 were screened for alterations in codon 306 of the embB gene; mutations in this codon are reported to confer resistance to ethambutol (EMB). The embB306 mutations were detected in 14 (48.3%) of 29 EMB-resistant strains and, quite surprisingly, in 48 (31.2...