This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Brudey, K. Articles by Rastogi, N. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Brudey, K. Articles by Rastogi, N.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, July 2004, p. 3046-3051, Vol. 42, No. 7
0095-1137/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.42.7.3046-3051.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Molecular Epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Western Sweden

Unité de la Tuberculose et des Mycobactéries, Institut Pasteur de Guadeloupe, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe,¹ Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Göteborg University,² Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg, Sweden³

Received 9 February 2004/ Returned for modification 15 March 2004/ Accepted 25 March 2004

The genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates among patients from Sweden was determined by a combination of two PCR-based techniques (spoligotyping and variable number of tandem repeats analysis). It resulted in a clustering of 23.6% of the isolates and a rate of recent transmission of 14.1%. The clustered isolates mainly belonged to the Haarlem family (23.2%), followed by the Beijing (9.8%), Latin American and Mediterranean (LAM; 8%), and East African-Indian (EAI; 6.2%) families. A comparison of the spoligotypes with those in the international spoligotyping database showed that 62.5% of the clustered isolates and 36.6% of all isolates typed were grouped into six major shared types. A comparison of the spoligotypes with those in databases for Scandinavian countries showed that 33% of the isolates belonged to an ill-defined T family, followed by the EAI (22%), Haarlem (20%), LAM (11%), Central Asian (5%), X (5%), and Beijing (4%) families. Both the highest number of cases and the proportion of clustered cases were observed in patients ages 15 to 39 years. Nearly 10% of the isolates were resistant to one or more drugs (essentially limited to isoniazid monoresistance). However, none of the strains were multidrug resistant. Data on the geographic origins of the patients showed that more than two-thirds of the clustered patients with tuberculosis were foreign-born individuals or refugees. These results are explained on the basis of both the historical links within specific countries and recently imported cases of tuberculosis into Sweden.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Lari, N., Rindi, L., Bonanni, D., Rastogi, N., Sola, C., Tortoli, E., Garzelli, C. (2007). Three-Year Longitudinal Study of Genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates in Tuscany, Italy. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 1851-1857 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Brudey, K., Filliol, I., Ferdinand, S., Guernier, V., Duval, P., Maubert, B., Sola, C., Rastogi, N. (2006). Long-Term Population-Based Genotyping Study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex Isolates in the French Departments of the Americas. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 183-191 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Dale, J. W, Bothamley, G. H, Drobniewski, F., Gillespie, S. H, McHugh, T. D, Pitman, R. (2005). Origins and properties of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in London. J Med Microbiol 54: 575-582 [Abstract] [Full Text]