Molecular epidemiology and drug resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates in the Archangel prison in Russia: predominance of the W-Beijing clone family.

Prisons play a significant role in the epidemiology of drug-resistant tuberculosis. A total of 114 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates recovered from patients in the Archangel prison (Archangel, Russia) in 2001 were studied using restriction fragment-length polymorphism analysis and spoligotyping. Drug susceptibility was analyzed by the radiometric broth method (BACTEC; Becton Dickinson Diagnostic Systems).