<i>In Vitro</i> Isolation and Characterization of Oxazolidinone-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Abstract

Oxazolidinones are promising candidates for the treatment of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> infections. We isolated linezolid-resistant strains from H37Rv (Euro-American) and HN878 (East-Asian) strains; resistance frequencies were similar in the two strains. Mutations were identified in ribosomal protein L3 (RplC) and the 23S rRNA (<i>rrl</i>). All mutant strains were cross resistant to sutezolid; a subset was cross resistant to chloramphenicol. Mutations in <i>rrl</i> led to growth impairment and decreased fitness that may limit spread in clinical settings.