Routine Molecular Surveillance of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Translating Mutation Proxies into Clinical Governance Intelligence in Rural Eastern Cape
Bulela Sonka, Mojisola Clara Hosu, Ntandazo Dlatu, Thokoe Vincent Makola, Lindiwe Modest Faye · 2026
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Description
Sonka, Hosu, Dlatu, Makola, and Faye mine routine TB test data in twenty twenty-six to track drug resistance in a rural South African municipality. Gene tests for TB produce mutation data for each patient, but those data are rarely pooled for wider surveillance. The team analysed well over one thousand test records from thirty clinics across nearly four years.
Nearly three in four records carried at least one resistance-linked mutation marker. Resistance to the main first-line drug dominated, through two distinct mutation routes. Rates shifted over time and varied sharply between clinics, with some sites showing persistent detection month after month. The authors argue such pooled data can act as an early warning of strain on TB care systems.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Bulela Sonka, Mojisola Clara Hosu, Ntandazo Dlatu, Thokoe Vincent Makola, Lindiwe Modest Faye |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 74 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |