Use of Genetic Distance as a Measure of Ongoing Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

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dc.contributor.authorVan Der Spuy G.D.
dc.contributor.authorWarren R.M.
dc.contributor.authorRichardson M.
dc.contributor.authorBeyers N.
dc.contributor.authorBehr M.A.
dc.contributor.authorVan Helden P.D.
dc.date.accessioned2011-05-15T15:56:57Z
dc.date.available2011-05-15T15:56:57Z
dc.date.issued2003
dc.description.abstractThe stability of the genotypic marker IS6110, used to define the epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is one of the most important factors influencing the interpretation of DNA fingerprint data. We propose that evolved strains should be considered together with clustered strains to represent chains of ongoing transmis. sion. For the present study we used a large set of fingerprint data for strains collected between 1992 and 1998 from residents of a community with a high incidence of tuberculosis in Cape Town, South Africa. Interstrain genetic distances were calculated by counting the banding pattern mismatches in the IS6110 DNA fingerprints of different isolates. These data demonstrate that the propensity to change by one or two bands is independent of the IS6110 copy number. Hence, the genetic distance between pairs of isolates can be simply expressed as the number of differences in the banding patterns. From this foundation, a data set which identifies newly evolved strains has been generated. Inclusion of these evolved strains into various molecular epidemiological calculations significantly increased the estimate of ongoing transmission in this study setting. The indication is that nearly all cases of tuberculosis in this community are due to ongoing transmission. This has important implications for tuberculosis control, as it indicates that the control measures used at present are unable to reduce the level of transmission. This technique may also be applicable to the study of low-incidence tuberculosis outbreaks as well as the analysis of epidemiological data from other disease epidemics.
dc.description.versionArticle
dc.identifier.citationJournal of Clinical Microbiology
dc.identifier.citation41
dc.identifier.citation12
dc.identifier.issn951137
dc.identifier.other10.1128/JCM.41.12.5640-5644.2003
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/10131
dc.subjectarticle
dc.subjectbacterial strain
dc.subjectbacterial transmission
dc.subjectcalculation
dc.subjectDNA fingerprinting
dc.subjectepidemic
dc.subjectgenetic distance
dc.subjecthuman
dc.subjectincidence
dc.subjectmarker gene
dc.subjectmolecular evolution
dc.subjectMycobacterium tuberculosis
dc.subjectnonhuman
dc.subjectpriority journal
dc.subjectSouth Africa
dc.subjectstrain difference
dc.subjecttransposon
dc.subjecttransposon is6110
dc.subjecttuberculosis
dc.subjecttuberculosis control
dc.subjectDNA Fingerprinting
dc.subjectGenetic Markers
dc.subjectGenotype
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectMycobacterium tuberculosis
dc.subjectPolymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
dc.subjectSouth Africa
dc.subjectTuberculosis
dc.subjectVariation (Genetics)
dc.subjectActinobacteria (class)
dc.subjectBacteria (microorganisms)
dc.subjectMycobacterium
dc.subjectMycobacterium tuberculosis
dc.subjecttransposons
dc.subjectuncultured actinomycete
dc.titleUse of Genetic Distance as a Measure of Ongoing Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
dc.typeArticle
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