Molecular typing methods used in studies ofMycobacterium tuberculosisin Iran: a systematic review.
OBJECTIVE
Molecular typing methods are important and useful tools to assess the transmission, diversity of strains and differentiation between new infections and relapses which can effectively help in controlling infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the molecular typing methods which have been used in Iran. By evaluating the results and discriminatory power of each method, we can assign appropriate weight to each technique and ultimately offer a common strategy for future epidemiological studies.


METHODS
We searched several databases to identify studies addressingMycobacterium tuberculosismolecular epidemiology in Iran. Hunter-Gaston discrimination index (HGDI) was used to evaluate the discriminatory power in each method. Relevant articles were selected and analyzed; HGDI index was calculated for each technique.


RESULTS
The most common genotyping methods used in the articles were RFLP, MIRU-VNTR, spoligotyping, PFGE and RAPD-PCR. The most frequently techniques were IS6110-RFLP, MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping alone or in combination. The highest discrimination power (average HGDI: 0.9916) was obtained by RFLP followed by MIRU-VNTR (average HGDI: 0.9638) and spoligotyping (average HGDI: 0.9041) respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Combination of MIRU-VNTR with spoligotyping can be recommended for large-scale genotyping in Iran. It seems appropriate to consider spoligotyping as the first technique for screening followed by other techniques with higher discrimination power such as MIRU-VNTR or IS6110-RFLP.
Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Hassan
H
Ravansalar
Department of Microbiology, Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute (RVSRI), Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Karaj, Iran.
Keyvan
K
Tadayon
Antimicrobial Resistance Research Center, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Kiarash
K
Ghazvini
Genotyping; HGDI; MIRU-VNTR; Molecular epidemiology; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; RFLP; Spoligotyping