Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in a South African community with high HIV prevalence

J Infect Dis. 2009 Oct 15;200(8):1207-11. doi: 10.1086/605930.

Abstract

To explore the relationship between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes, we performed IS6110-based restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis on M. tuberculosis culture specimens from patients with smear-positive tuberculosis in a periurban community in South Africa from 2001 through 2005. Among 151 isolates, 95 strains were identified within 26 families, with 54% clustering. HIV status was associated with W-Beijing strains (P = .009) but not with clustering per se. The high frequency of clustering suggests ongoing transmission in both HIV-negative and HIV-positive individuals in this community. The strong association between W-Beijing and HIV infection may have important implications for tuberculosis control.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Family
  • Genotype
  • HIV Infections / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Molecular Epidemiology*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / genetics*
  • Phylogeny
  • Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
  • Prevalence
  • South Africa / epidemiology
  • Tuberculosis / epidemiology*
  • Tuberculosis / microbiology*
  • Tuberculosis / prevention & control