Molecular approach to identifying route of transmission of tuberculosis in the community
Details
Serval ID
serval:BIB_36924D70C8DB
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Molecular approach to identifying route of transmission of tuberculosis in the community
Journal
Lancet
ISSN
0140-6736 (Print)
Publication state
Published
Issued date
10/1993
Volume
342
Number
8875
Pages
841-4
Notes
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't --- Old month value: Oct 2
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't --- Old month value: Oct 2
Abstract
There is growing concern that tuberculosis is spread in Europe in the way that it is in the USA. We have used DNA "fingerprinting" in a systematic evaluation of tuberculosis cases notified in our community to uncover foci of transmission. An IS6110 probe was used to test all isolates from culture-confirmed tuberculosis cases (163 patients) notified in 1991-92 in the Canton of Berne. In total, 45 patients (27.6%), potentially linked on the basis of restriction fragment length polymorphism, were investigated epidemiologically. The largest group (n = 22) included members of a defined social group (drug addicts, homeless persons, alcoholics), from whom tuberculosis spread to the general population. A key patient developed multidrug-resistant tuberculosis during the surveillance period. This population study showed that (i) extensive transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is now taking place in Europe in the same social setting as in the USA; (ii) there is definite "spillover" to the general population; (iii) the dimensions of the problem cannot be recognised easily by routine public health service activities because of the complexity of the transmission network; and (iv) multidrug-resistant tuberculosis develops in this setting.
Keywords
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bacterial Typing Techniques
Child
Child, Preschool
DNA, Bacterial/analysis
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*classification/genetics
Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
Population Surveillance/*methods
Switzerland/epidemiology
Tuberculosis, Pulmonary/epidemiology/*microbiology/*transmission
Pubmed
Web of science
Create date
25/01/2008 15:45
Last modification date
20/08/2019 14:24