Turbidity-Based MIC Assay and Characterization of Spontaneous Drug Resistant Mutants in Mycobacterium ulcerans.

Generation and characterization of drug resistant mutants is a powerful tool in antimicrobial drug discovery for identification of the molecular target of an investigational drug candidate. The method is relatively simple to be conducted in a classical microbiology laboratory. Its value has been augmented by the employment of next generation sequencing techniques to characterize single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with drug resistance. Determination of the frequency of emergence of resistance to drug candidates also provides insights into their usefulness for clinical application. In addition to the generation of drug resistant mutants, we describe a direct method to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of a drug candidate against Mycobacterium ulcerans.