title: MIRU-VNTR typing of drug-resistant tuberculosis isolates in Greece.
abstract: The increasing immigration rate in Greece from countries with a high prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) may have an impact οn the number of MDR-TB cases in Greece. The aim of this study was to genotypically characterize the MTB isolates from patients with pulmonary drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in Greece, and to determine whether there is any association between the prevalent genotypes and drug resistance. Fifty-three drug-resistant MTB strains isolated from culture specimens of clinical material from native Greeks and immigrant patients with pulmonary tuberculosis were genotyped using the mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeats (MIRU-VNTR) method. The phylogenetically distinct groups of isolates identified were: the Beijing (34%), the LAM (11%), the Haarlem (24.5%), the Uganda I (9.4%), the Ural (3.8%), the Delhi/CAS (9.4%) and the Cameroon (3.8%) families. Greek patients were more likely to have monoresistant and polyresistant TB with the most prevalent isolates belonging to the Haarlem family. Among foreign-born patients with MDR-TB, the most prevalent genotypes belonged to the Beijing family. MIRU-VNTR rapidly obtained clinically useful genotyping data, by characterizing clonal MTB heterogeneity in the isolated strains. Our results underline the need for more effective antituberculosis control programs in order to control the expansion of DR-TB in Greece.
authors.affiliation: 1st University Pulmonary Department, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens SOTIRIA District Chest Diseases Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rovina
authors.forename: Simona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karabela
authors.forename: Pantelis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Constantoulakis
authors.forename: Vassiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Michou
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konstantinou
authors.forename: Vassileios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sgountzos
authors.forename: Charis
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Roussos
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Poulakis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000382:microbiology*