Target NGS with Nanopore sequencing on Mycobacterium Tuberculosis

Utilizing the Oxford Nanopore Diagnostics (OND) AmPORE TB kit on a portable MinION device, recently endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) for diagnosing tuberculosis (TB) from respiratory samples, the performance and feasibility of the assay were assessed. A total of 105 DNA samples from TB-positive cases were collected and subjected to two WHO-approved targeted Next Generation Sequencing (tNGS) solutions: the Genoscreen Deeplex Myc-TB kit and the OND AmPORE TB kit. The AmPORE TB kit demonstrated a 98% validity rate and rapid turnaround time of 5-6 hours, significantly reducing reporting time compared to traditional methods. Comparable performance to the Deeplex Myc-TB kit in detecting drug resistance mutations was observed, highlighting the potential of AmPORE TB to reduce testing time while maintaining accuracy.