Fitness of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains of the W-Beijing and Non-W-Beijing Genotype

Multidrug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a major threat for global tuberculosis control. The W-Beijing Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotype has been associated with drug resistance. Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying this epidemiological finding may have an important role in the control of MDR-TB. The aim of this study was to evaluate the fitness of drug-susceptible and MDR M. tuberculosis strains of the W-Beijing genotype compared with that of Non-W-Beijing strains.