We developed a Tag Array chip for detecting first- and second-line anti tuberculosis drug resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis and compared the analytical performance of the gene chip to that of phenotypic drug susceptibility testing (DST).

From November 2011 to April 2016.234 consecutive culture–confirmed, clinically and imaging diagnosed patients with pulmonary tuberculosis from Southwest Hospital, Chongqing were enrolled into the study. Specimens collected during sputum or bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from the pulmonary tuberculosis patients were subjected to M. tuberculosis species identification and drug-resistance detection by the Tag Array gene chip, and evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of chip.

A total of 186 patients was diagnosed drug-resistant tuberculosis. The detection of rifampicin (RFP), isoniazid (INH), fluoroquinolones (FQS), streptomycin (SM) resistance genes was highly sensitive and specific: however, for detection of amikacin (AMK), capreomycin (CPM), Kanamycin (KM), specificity was higher, but sensitivity was lower. Sensitivity for the detection of a mutation in the eis promoter region could be improved. The detection sensitivity of the EMB resistance gene was low, therefore it is easy to miss a diagnosis of EMB drug resistance, but its specificity was high.

Tag Array chip can achieve rapid, accurate and high-throughput detection of tuberculosis resistance in pulmonary tuberculosis, which has important clinical significance and feasibility.