SAN FRANCISCO (GenomeWeb) – Researchers are turning to next-generation sequencing to develop better methods for cataloguing mutations that confer tuberculosis drug resistance and, ultimately, to design better diagnostics.

According to the World Health Organization, 80 percent of people infected with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis in 2015 did not receive the appropriate treatment, and only half of those who started treatment were cured. This is compared to a more than 90 percent cure rate for tuberculosis that is not resistant.