Four out of 143 phenotypically isoniazid-resistant but rifampin-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains that were isolated from patients in Germany in 2011 had mutations in the rifampin resistance-determining region of rpoB. After performing drug susceptibility testing (DST) with two methods, the proportion method on Löwenstein-Jensen medium and using the Bactec 960 Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube system, we conclude that the two methods are equally reliable for phenotypic DST and MIC determination.T he development of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), defined as resistance against at least isoniazid (INH) and rifampin (RMP), is assumed to occur as resistance to drugs serially acquired due to inadequate treatment. This includes the use of single drugs or single, usually effective drugs in the treatment of patients that are infected with resistant strains. INH-resistant but RMP-susceptible Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains may represent a source for the development of MDR strains in the case of nonadapted treatment.The molecular basis of RMP resistance is localized mainly in a specific region of the rpoB gene, the RMP resistance-determining region (RRDR), which enables rapid detection by molecular analysis (1). Extensive use of molecular assays consistently found, although rarely, isolates harboring rpoB mutations but which did not test resistant by phenotypical drug susceptibility testing (DST) methods (2, 3).In this study, we investigated the presence of rpoB mutations in all 143 INH-resistant and RMP-susceptible M. tuberculosis isolates from patients living in Germany that were submitted to the German National Reference Laboratory for Mycobacteria in 2011. In addition, RMP susceptibility was evaluated with two different DST methods. Primary detection and DST had been performed earlier by using the Bactec 960 Mycobacterial Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) system (Becton, Dickinson, USA). The processing of the specimens, the DNA preparation, and the sequencing of katG and the ribosome binding site (RBS) of inhA for INH resistance and of the RRDR were carried out as described previously (4-6).Of the 143 M. tuberculosis strains, 139 strains showed no mutation, while four strains (2.8%) had at least one rpoB mutation within the RRDR. This is consistent with two other studies reporting 4 of 94 (4.3%) and 4 of 202 (2.0%) strains with at least one rpoB mutation within the RRDR (7) (8). Two of the four strains had the mutation L533P. The other two strains had the mutation D516Y in combination with a second mutation within the RRDR (N518D or E510H) ( Table 1). None of the sequencing profiles showed underlying wild-type peaks indicating heteroresistance. All mutations found have been described previously (9). The mutation N518D has been described in combination with L533P in a strain with high-level RMP resistance (10). Therefore, this mutation does not seem to have a reverse effect on a resistant phenotype in general. The second double mutation within rpoB, resulting in E510H D516Y, has been described in ...