Molecular typing of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from Turkey.

Objectives: Appropriate antibiotic therapy and prevention of cross-contamination are the most important subjects in tuberculosis (TB) control. The aim of this study was to investigate the major phylogenetic clades and transmission rate of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates (n = 200) from patients with TB in Sivas and Konya Provinces of Turkey.

Methods: The phylogenetic relationship among the isolates was investigated by spoligotyping method. In addition, the 24-locus mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) typing method was used to reveal cross-contamination.

Results: Spoligotyping revealed 13 different spoligotypes. A total of 188 strains (94.0%) were included in the cluster. The most prominent spoligofamily was the T family (43.0% of strains), followed by LAM (26.0%), H (8.0%), X and S (both 6.0%) and U (5.0%). Also, 12 strains (6.0%) belonged to the Beijing profile. MIRU-VNTR results showed 176 (88.0%) different genotypes among the isolates. In total, 24 strains (12.0%) were in the cluster.

Conclusions: According to spoligotyping, there is a heterogeneous M. tuberculosis population in Turkey. MIRU-VNTR results showed that cross-contamination observed between MDR M. tuberculosis isolates in Turkey is controllable.