title: The most predominant spoligopatterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates among Iranian, Afghan-immigrant, Pakistani and Turkish tuberculosis patients: a comparative analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to identify prevalent spoligopatterns of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) strains within Iran and its neighboring countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  The spacer oligonucleotide typing (spoligotyping) was performed on 1,742 MTB strains isolated from Iranian and Afghan patients. Subsequently, these results were compared with published results of Pakistan and Turkey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the international spoligotyping database T, Central Asian Strain (CAS), East African-Indian and Latin American and Mediterranean families were prevalent in the region. T was dominant amongIranian (32.3%) and Turkish (36.5%), whereas CAS was more prevalent among Pakistani (61.3%) and Afghan-immigrant (27.4%) TB patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of strains isolated from Pakistan and Afghanistan belonged to ancient MTB genotypes (principal genetic group, PGG, I). In contrast, in Turkey there was prevalence of modern TB (PGG II and III), whereas in Iran, the prevalence of ancient and modern TB was almost equal. Therefore, Iran may be considered as the connecting geographical location between ancient and modern TB.
authors.affiliation: Mycobacteriology Research Center, National Research Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran. muayadfaily@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Muayad A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Merza
authors.forename: Parissa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Farnia
authors.forename: Ahmad M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Salih
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Masjedi
authors.forename: Ali Akbar
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Velayati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000346:Afghanistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D021901:DNA, Intergenic / Q000235:genetics*; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods; D009841:Oligonucleotides / Q000235:genetics*; D010154:Pakistan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D021901:DNA, Intergenic; D009841:Oligonucleotides