Reeve Sobol

Ms. Reeve Sobol


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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22 October 2026 in Antibiotics
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
SNSenamile Lale Ngema
Senamile Lale Ngema
RSReeve Sobol
Reeve Sobol
SMSiyabonga Myawe
Siyabonga Myawe
FWFay Willis
Fay Willis
LDLwazi Danisa
Lwazi Danisa
RPRubeshan Perumal
Rubeshan Perumal
Background: Bedaquiline (BDQ) is critical for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) treatment, but emerging resistance threatens its efficacy. Detection of BDQ resistance relies on slow phenotypic drug-susceptibility testing (pDST), delaying treatment decisions. We determined the diagnostic accuracy of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for predicting BDQ resistance against culture-based pDST. Methods: Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates underwent BDQ pDST (1.0 µg/mL in MGIT) in a prospective study of patients with MDR-TB with additional resistance to fluoroquinolones or aminoglycosides in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (2018–2022). Isolates with single nucleotide polymorphisms showing a read depth of ≥10 and allele frequency of ≥0.7 were included. Isolates exhibiting phenotypic resistance underwent quantitative minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) testing (ranging from 0.25 to 8.0 µg/mL) using the BACTEC MGIT 960 system. Diagnostic performance of WGS compared to MGIT-based pDST was assessed by calculating sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV), and positive predictive value (PPV). Results: Analysis included 428 isolates: 88 phenotypically resistant isolates (87 with potential BDQ-resistance-associated variants (RAVs) and one wild-type) and 340 susceptible isolates (7 with potential RAVs and 333 wild-type). Presence of potential RAVs accurately predicted phenotypic resistance: sensitivity 98.9% (95% CI: 93.8–99.8), specificity 97.9% (95% CI: 95.8–99.0), PPV 92.6% (95% CI: 85.4–96.4), and NPV 99.7% (95% CI: 98.3–99.6). Among the 94 isolates with potential RAVs, we observed gene mutations in Rv0678 (88/94, 93.6%), pepQ (2/94, 2.1%), and Rv1979c (4/94, 4.3%). The median BDQ MIC for resistant isolates was 4.0 µg/mL [IQR:2.0–4.0 µg/mL]. Conclusions: Potential BDQ RAVs, predominantly in Rv0678, are strong predictors of BDQ phenotypic resistance, highlighting the potential use of genotypic catalogues to inform timely treatment decisions.