Clinically prevalent mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis alter propionate metabolism and mediate multidrug tolerance

The global epidemic of drug resistant tuberculosis is a catastrophic example of how antimicrobial resistance is undermining the public health gains made possible by combination drug therapy. Recent evidence points to unappreciated bacterial factors that accelerate the emergence of drug resistance. In a genome-wide association study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from China, we find mutations in the transcription factor prpR enriched in drug resistant strains. PrpR mutations confer conditional drug tolerance to three of the most effective classes of antibiotics by altering propionyl-CoA metabolism. PrpR-mediated drug tolerance is carbon-source dependent, and while readily detectible during infection of human macrophages, is not captured by standard susceptibility testing. These data define a previously unrecognized and clinically prevalent class of M. tuberculosis variants that undermine antibiotic efficacy and drive drug resistance.