title: [Molecular analysis of strains from tuberculosis patients in Polish prisons in 2004-2008. Initial analysis of the project].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Correctional facilities are recognised breeding ground for infectious diseases. As The World Health Organization reported the incidence of infectious diseases in prison's population is 10-100 times higher than in general population. The incidence of tuberculosis among correctional inmates in Poland in 2008 was 270/100000, that is around 10 times higher than among non-prisoners.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study included 57 M. tuberculosis isolates from patients in Polish prisons in 2004-2008 (5% of all diagnosed TB patient in Polish prisons 2004-2008). Primary isolation was performed with Löwenstein-Jensen (L-J) medium, species identification was done with the niacin test and gene probes test. Bacterial DNA was extracted from the L-J medium slants with the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) method. Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains were analyzed with two methods: screening for epidemiological discrimination of M. tuberculosis - spoligotyping and high-throughput - MIRU/VNTR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Isolates that are grouped in clusters (33 isolates) were analyzed by means of MIRU/VNTRs. In MIRU/VNTRs all strains showed different genetic patterns. Most isolates of the prisoners were grouped into two clusters: T1 53 and H3 50.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  1. MIRU/VNTR is a high-throughput method. 2. MIRU/VNTR is a promising method to diagnose TB transmission in Polish jails. 3. To identify the probable source of transmission, molecular analysis of strains from patients of the general population is needed.
authors.affiliation: Zakład Mikrobiologii Instytutu Gruźlicy i Chorób Płuc w Warszawie. s-brzezinska@wp.pl
authors.forename: Sylwia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Brzezińska
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zabost
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kozińska
authors.forename: Grażyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Janicka-Sobierajska
authors.forename: Zofia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zwolska
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Augustynowicz-Kopeć
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D006801:Humans; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D011044:Poland; D011329:Prisoners / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial