Mycobacterium tuberculosis polyclonal infections and microevolution identified by MIRU-VNTRs in an epidemiological study

Discussion By comparing these results on microevolutionary cases (n =6) to 112,000 strains present in the SITVIT2 database, evidence is presented that in 2/6 cases (each case corresponding to 2 patterns due to MIRU double bands), one of the patterns corresponded to a shared type found exclusively in Suriname or Guyana. Phylogenetic analysis showed that no spoligotyping lineage in particular was more prone to microevolutionary events in this study’s sample. Overall, the observations fortify the awareness regarding the existence of microevolution and polyclonal TB infections which has important implications for patient care.
Source: International Journal of Mycobacteriology - Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: research