A modification of spoligotyping with primers derived from the direct repeat (DR) and IS6110 sequences was used to identify IS6110 insertions in the DR locus of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clinical strains from the St. Petersburg area of Russia. Novel IS6110 insertions were identified: (i) in two epidemiologically unlinked Beijing family strains, an asymmetrical direct insertion in DR37; (ii) in ...

BACKGROUND The control of tuberculosis in densely populated cities is complicated by close human-to-human contacts and potential transmission of pathogens from multiple sources. We conducted a molecular epidemiologic analysis of 356 Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) isolates from patients presenting pulmonary tuberculosis in metropolitan Taipei. Classical antibiogram studies and genetic characte...

Tuberculosis incidence rates in Kiribati are among the highest in the Western Pacific Region, however the genetic diversity of circulating Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains (MTBC) and transmission dynamics are unknown. Here, we analysed MTBC strains isolated from culture positive pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) cases from the main TB referral centre between November 2007 and October 2009. ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Molecular epidemiological studies have shown that certain genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) are over-represented in limited geographical regions, suggesting of evolution of certain genotypes with increasing virulence and pathogenicity. Beijing strain of MTB was initially described by its potential to cause outbreaks worldwide and its association with drug re...

To the Editor: Mycobacterium tuberculosis has >36 identifi ed genotype families (1). Four genotypes cause 35% of documented cases of active tuberculosis (TB): Beijing (10%– 11%), Latin American–Mediterranean (9.3%), Haarlem (7.5%), and the X clade (7%) (1,2) The Beijing clade strains, reported in 1995 from the Peo-ple's Republic of China, are widely recognized as highly pathogenic with a possib...

BACKGROUND There is increasing evidence of a strain-related variation in the virulence in Mycobacterium tuberculosis that may afford a selective advantage to certain strains. The W-Beijing strain family is globally distributed, highly virulent in animal models, associated with human immunodeficiency virus infection and drug resistance, and may be an emerging strain family. Our goal was to deter...

Background and Objectives Tuberculosis (TB) is still responsible for a wide range of deaths worldwide. Beijing genotype is one of the most important and virulent strains in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This study was designed for determination Beijing genotypes of M. tuberculosis in Golestan province, north of Iran. Materials and Methods In the current descriptive study, 238 clinical MTB isola...

Infections with the Beijing family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis occur worldwide and are endemic in Asian countries. We present the draft genome sequence of DS6701, a multidrug-resistant M. tuberculosis Beijing strain of sequence type 10. The isolate is a representative of strains isolated from a multidrug-resistant tuberculosis outbreak in Thailand.

BACKGROUND The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Russia as one of the 22 highest-burden countries for tuberculosis (TB). The WHO Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) strategy employing a standardised treatment for 6 months produces the highest cure rates for drug sensitive TB. The Russian TB service traditionally employed individualised treatment. The purpose of this study was ...

We present the first comprehensive analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates circulating in the Kaohsiung region of southern Taiwan. The major spoligotypes found in the 224 isolates studied were Beijing lineages (n = 97; 43.3%), EAI lineages (n = 72; 32.1%) and Haarlem lineages (n = 18; 8.0%). By 24 MIRU-VNTR typing, 174 patterns were identified, including 24 clusters of 74 isolates and 1...