WHO issues the third edition of its catalogue of tuberculosis drug-resistance mutations
30 October 2026
The World Health Organization published the third edition of its Catalogue of mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and their association with drug resistance on 30 October. The catalogue is a standard reference that helps laboratories read genetic changes in the TB germ and tell whether they make it resistant to a drug. This edition is built on paired whole-genome sequencing and drug susceptibility testing of more than 71 000 clinical isolates from over 75 countries. It adds stronger evidence for newer and key drugs: bedaquiline, linezolid, delamanid, pretomanid and cycloserine. The 86-page document comes from WHO's team for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STIs. It is meant to make molecular tests for drug-resistant TB more reliable worldwide.
In plain words
Mycobacterium tuberculosis — The bacterium that causes tuberculosis, identified by Robert Koch in 1882.
Whole-genome sequencing WGS — Reading the complete DNA of an organism to find changes linked to traits such as drug resistance.
Drug susceptibility testing DST — A lab test that checks whether a germ is killed or stopped by a particular drug.