title: Molecular fingerprinting of mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained in havana, cuba, by IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and by the double-repetitive-element PCR method.
abstract: Mycobacterium tuberculosis sputum isolates from 38 patients, obtained in the first 6 months of 1997 in Havana, Cuba, were characterized by IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and the double-repetitive-element PCR (DRE-PCR) method. Among 41 strains from 38 patients, 24 and 25 unique patterns, and 5 and 4 cluster patterns, were found by the RFLP and DRE-PCR methods, respectively. Patients within two of these clusters were found to be epidemiologically related, while no relation was observed in patients in the other clusters. The DRE-PCR method is rapid, and it was as discriminating as IS6110 RFLP analysis in identifying an epidemiological association. Its simplicity makes the technique accessible for subtyping of M. tuberculosis strains in laboratories not equipped to perform RFLP analysis.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kourí, Havana, Cuba.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Montoro
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valdivia
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Leão
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003462:Cuba / Q000453:epidemiology; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements