Gene that halts TB from mutating into lethal superbugs detected

New Delhi: Scientists have detected a gene that stops Tuberculosis from mutating into deadly superbugs.

Researchers from the Centro Nacional de Biotecnologia in Spain and the University of Sussex in the UK identified the gene called NucS that dramatically reduces mutation rates in mycobacteria - the infectious microbe which causes TB.

TB, which is spread through the air, is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, researchers said.

Drug-resistant strains of TB have already been identified in 105 countries and researchers believe that a key gene, required to suppress mutation rates in mycobacteria, may help understand how 'superbugs' develop.

Using a genetic screen, which involved individually knocking out nearly every gene (11,000 genes) in mycobacteria, and screening whether mutant strains grew on a specific antibiotic (rifampicin), scientists discovered that a DNA repair enzyme, produced by the NucS gene, dramatically reduces mutations from occurring.

The researchers also discovered that genetic variations in the NucS gene significantly influence the mutation rates in clinically isolated strains of mycobacteria.

The scientists believe the discovery could also play a role in understanding the development of antibiotic-resistance in patients already suffering from TB.

(With PTI inputs)