Genomic Surveillance of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Indonesia

Rifky Waluyajati Rachman of the West Java Provincial Health Laboratory in Indonesia will employ targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) to support genomic surveillance of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in Indonesia. Indonesia has the second highest number of TB cases globally and a growing burden of largely undetected multidrug-resistant TB, yet no drug resistance surveillance in place. They will perform targeted NGS on over 5,000 positive sputum samples to more accurately estimate drug-resistant TB prevalence. They will also conduct whole genome sequencing at the community level to understand transmission patterns and help guide public health interventions. To build capacity, they will provide tailored training on the experimental, bioinformatic, public health, and epidemiological aspects of infectious disease surveillance. They will also establish a public center of expertise for pathogen surveillance in West Java, which has a population of 48 million.