Linezolid resistance among multidrug resistant tuberculosis isolates: Insights from North Karnataka, India

• Author Details:   
• Tejashree A
• Nivedita R Dhapalapu ^*
• Nirmala A
• Rumana Begum N

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Background: Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is a serious threat to public health around the world. Treatment regimens have become more complex due to the growing number of reports of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) worldwide. An increasing issue is the emergence of linezolid resistance in clinical isolates, despite the oxazolidinone antibiotic's promising effectiveness against MDR-TB.
Aim & Objective: This study investigates the prevalence and mechanisms of linezolid resistance among MDR-TB isolates from North Karnataka, India.
Materials and Methods: In this study, all of the investigations involving culture-positive specimens were conducted in a Class-II biosafety cabinet in a biosafety level III laboratory. MGIT-based susceptibility testing was used to determine the LZD susceptibility for 308 isolates.
Results: A total of 11104 diagnostic samples were tested for First Line LPA at the C &DST Lab KMCRI, Hubli. From January 2023 to December 2023 and the results revealed 6.1% were found to be resistant to LZD among 308 MDR TB isolates.
Conclusion-This underscores the need for continuous surveillance, careful management of linezolid use, and the development of alternative therapeutic strategies. These findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on TB drug resistance and inform future efforts to combat MDR-TB in the region.

Keywords: Linezolid Resistance, MDR TB, Northern Karnataka