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Published on: April 9, 2012
Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, Pakistan.
Rumina Hasan1, Kauser Jabeen, Asho Ali
1Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan. rumina.hasan@aku.edu
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|August 26, 2010
Summary
The frequency of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Pakistan significantly increased from 2006 to 2009. Researchers used molecular methods to investigate the epidemiology of these drug-resistant tuberculosis strains.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Epidemiology
- Genetics
Background:
- Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) poses a significant global health threat.
- A notable increase in XDR-TB cases was observed in Pakistan between 2006 and 2009.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the epidemiological trends of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Pakistan.
- To characterize selected XDR-TB strains using molecular genotyping techniques.
Main Methods:
- Spoligotyping was employed to determine the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains.
- Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR) typing was used for high-resolution strain identification.
- IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis was performed for further genetic fingerprinting.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in Pakistan rose from 1.5% in 2006 to 4.5% in 2009 (p<0.01).
- Molecular genotyping provided insights into the genetic relatedness and diversity of the studied XDR-TB strains.
Conclusions:
- The observed increase in XDR-TB highlights the urgent need for enhanced surveillance and control strategies in Pakistan.
- Genotyping methods are crucial tools for understanding the molecular epidemiology of drug-resistant tuberculosis and informing public health interventions.
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