Macrophage responses to MDR M.tuberculosis infection

The emergence of multidrug resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) strains, resistant to the frontline anti-tubercular drugs rifampicin and isoniazid, forces treatment with less effective and toxic second-line drugs and stands to derail TB control efforts. However, the immune response to MDR Mtb infection remains poorly understood. Here, we determined the RNA transcriptional profile of in vitro generated macrophages to infection with either drug susceptible Mtb HN878 or MDR Mtb W_7642 infection. Bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from WT and Il1r1–/– mice were derived in 7 days in GM-CSF supplemented complete DMEM. Cells were infected with either Mtb HN878 or Mtb W_7642 (multiplicity of infection = 1) and RNA samples collected after 6 days.