Insight into Population Structure and Drug Resistance of Pediatric Tuberculosis Strains from China and Russia Gained through Whole-Genome Sequencing.

This study aimed to determine phenotypic and genotypic drug resistance patterns of strains from children with tuberculosis (TB) in China and Russia, two high-burden countries for multi/extensively-drug resistant (MDR/XDR) TB. Whole-genome sequencing data of isolates from China ( = 137) and Russia ( = 60) were analyzed for phylogenetic markers and drug-resistance mutations, followed by comparison with phenotypic susceptibility data. The Beijing genotype was detected in 126 Chinese and 50 Russian isolates. The Euro-American lineage was detected in 10 Russian and 11 Chinese isolates. In the Russian collection, the Beijing genotype and Beijing B0/W148-cluster were dominated by MDR strains (68% and 94%, respectively). Ninety percent of B0/W148 strains were phenotypically pre-XDR. In the Chinese collection, neither of the Beijing sublineages was associated with MDR/pre-XDR status. MDR was mostly caused by low fitness cost mutations ( S450L, S315T, K43R). Chinese rifampicin-resistant strains demonstrated a higher diversity of resistance mutations than Russian isolates ( = 0.003). The rifampicin and isoniazid resistance compensatory mutations were detected in some MDR strains, but they were not widespread. The molecular mechanisms of adaptation to anti-TB treatment are not unique to the pediatric strains, but they reflect the general situation with TB in Russia and China.