Background: Tuberculosis continues to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide and in the American\r\nregion. Although multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) remains a threat to TB control in Panama, few studies\r\nhave focused in typing MDR-TB strains. The aim of our study was to characterize MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis\r\nclinical isolates using PCR-based genetic markers.\r\nMethods: From 2002 to 2004, a total of 231 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from TB cases country-wide were\r\nscreened for antibiotic resistance, and MDR-TB isolates were further genotyped by double repetitive element PCR\r\n(DRE-PCR), (GTG)5-PCR and spoligotyping.\r\nResults: A total of 37 isolates (0.85%) were resistant to both isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RIF). Among these 37\r\nisolates, only two (5.4%) were resistant to all five drugs tested. Dual genotyping using DRE-PCR and (GTG)5-PCR of\r\nMDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates revealed eight clusters comprising 82.9% of the MDR-TB strain collection,\r\nand six isolates (17.1%) showed unique fingerprints. The spoligotyping of MDR-TB clinical isolates identified 68% as\r\nmembers of the 42 (LAM9) family genotype.\r\nConclusion: Our findings suggest that MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosis is highly clustered in Panama�s metropolitan\r\narea corresponding to Panama City and Colon City, and our study reveals the genotype distribution across the country.
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