Review article

Molecular epidemiology – what have we learned in TB transmission follow-up

Mihaela Obrovac ; HZJZ, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Ljiljana Žmak ; HZJZ, Zagreb, Hrvatska
Vera Katalinić-Janković ; HZJZ, Zagreb, Hrvatska

Abstract

Molecular epidemiology studies, based on M. tuberculosis strains genotyping, add new dimension to descriptive epidemiology approach by enabling the follow-up of spread of tuberculosis on local, national and global level. In Croatia, all M. tuberculosis clinical strains isolated in newly diagnosed patients are genotyped since 2007. The MIRU-VNTR method is used, and the result is in the form of a 15-digit numerical code that is stored in the national database of M. tuberculosis genotypes. In this paper, various possibilities of using genotyping results in tuberculosis follow-up are presented, such as confirming the existence of an outbreak, revealing false positive cultures, transmission that was unnoticed by descriptive epidemiology approach, transmission from human to animal host and vice versa, etc.

Keywords

Tuberculosis; genotyping; MIRU-VNTR; molecular epidemiology

Hrčak ID:

133423

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/133423

Publication date:

30.6.2013.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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