DETERMINATION OF DRUG SUSCEPTIBILITY OF MYCOBACTERIUM-TUBERCULOSIS THROUGH MYCOLIC ACID ANALYSIS

In the present work a rapid method to determine the susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to isoniazid and streptomycin by determinin g levels of mycolic acids by high-performance liquid chromatography (H PLC) was developed. Mycobacterial growth kinetics in the presence and absence of antituberculosis drugs was characterized by evaluating the total area corresponding to mycolic acid peaks (TAMA). Results show a linear relationship between the logarithm of CFU per milliliter and TA MA and show that it is possible to detect growth inhibition of M. tube rculosis in the presence of isoniazid or streptomycin by using HPLC in 3 and 4 days, respectively.