This study analysed 330 environmental substrates from three dairy farms for the occurrence, drug resistance and the genetic mutations of MTBC (Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex) in Eastern Cape, South Africa using PCR, while the Genotype MTBDRplus assay was used for drug susceptibility and genetic mutations analyses. About 17% (55/330) of the samples were positive for MTBC at 16.7% (water), 13.3% (soil) and 20% (hayfeed). Isoniazid resistance was detected in 47.3% (26/55) of the samples while 16.4% (9/55) were multidrug-resistant. Genetic mutations were detected on the rpoB gene (resistance to rifampicin) with frequencies ranging from 53.6% (D516V) to 21.4% (H526D), while mutations on the katG and inhA genes (resistance to isoniazid) ranged between 14.3% and 80%. Incidents of diverse genetic mutations in the environmental matrices suggest possible resistance to other anti-TB drugs not assayed in this study and emphasizes the need for continuous monitoring of drug resistance patterns for timely detection and control of new clonal groups of MTBC.
Keywords: MTBC; anti-TB drugs; environment; multidrug resistance; mutations.