England will be the first country in the world to conduct whole genome sequencing (WGS) on all tuberculosis (TB) samples in 2018, delegates attending the BTS Winter meeting have heard.
In January, the London-based national mycobacterium reference service (NMRS) laboratory will join the Birmingham-based service, which has been using WSG for the past year.
Dr Eliza Alexander, from Public Health England, announced the plan at a TB symposium at the British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting.
Current systems for identifying strains of TB, with drug sensitivity information and typing, can take eight weeks. WSG, said Dr Alexander, can give results in seven days.
“It’s also cheaper; it’s one test and gives us timely information for improving patient care, especially around drug resistance.”
She said it can also provide better understanding of transmission routes, by allowing speedy analysis of whether outbreaks are linked to each other and the direction of travel.