Using 894 phylogenetically diverse genomes of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), we simulated in silico the ability of the Hain Lifescience GenoType MTBC assay to differentiate the causative agents of tuberculosis. Here, we propose a revised interpretation of this assay to reflect its strengths (e.g., it can distinguish some strains of Mycobacterium canettii and variants of Mycobacterium bovis that are not intrinsically resistant to pyrazinamide) and limitations (e.g., Mycobacterium orygis cannot be differentiated from Mycobacterium africanum).
Keywords: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; genotyping; intrinsic antibiotic resistance.