Genomic characteristics of prospectively sequenced from respiratory and non-respiratory sources.

Understanding the differences between strains isolated from respiratory and non-respiratory sources may inform clinical care and control strategies. We examined demographic and genomic characteristics of all culture-confirmed cultures isolated from respiratory and non-respiratory sources in New South Wales, Australia, from January 2017 to December 2021, using logistic regression models. strains from 1,831 patients were sequenced; 64.7% were from respiratory, 32.1% from non-respiratory, and 2.2% from both sources. Female patients had more frequent isolation from a non-respiratory source ( = 0.03), and older adults (≧65 years) from a respiratory source ( < 0.0001). Lineage 2 strains were relatively over-represented among respiratory isolates ( = 0.01). Among 39 cases with sequenced isolates from both sources, 43.6% had 1-10 single nucleotide polymorphism differences. The finding that older adults were more likely to have isolated from respiratory sources has relevance for TB control given the expected rise of TB among older adults.