The genetics and biochemistry of isoniazid resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Although the primary targets of activated isoniazid (INH) are proteins invo lved in the biosynthesis of cell wall mycolic acids, clinical resistance is dominated by specific point mutations in katG. Mutations associated with t arget mutations contribute to, but still cannot completely explain, resista nce ro INH. Despite the wealth of genetic information currently available, the molecular mechanism of cell death induced by INH remains elusive. (C) 2 000 Editions scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.