This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Quitugua, T. N. Articles by Cox, R. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Quitugua, T. N. Articles by Cox, R. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, August 2002, p. 2716-2724, Vol. 40, No. 8
0095-1137/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.40.8.2716-2724.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Transmission of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Texas and Mexico

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Department of Microbiology, San Antonio, Texas 78245,¹ Texas Department of Health Tuberculosis Elimination Division,² Texas Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories, Austin, Texas 78756,⁴ University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, Fort Worth, Texas 76107-2699³

Received 18 December 2001/ Returned for modification 12 March 2002/ Accepted 27 April 2002

To examine the transmission of drug-resistant (DR) tuberculosis between Texas and Mexico, Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates resistant to one or more of the first-line antimycobacterial drugs were obtained from 606 patients who resided in Texas and 313 patients who resided in Mexico, primarily within the state of Tamaulipas. The isolates were genotyped by IS6110-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis and spoligotyping. Of the 919 isolates genotyped, 413 (45%) grouped into 105 clusters containing 2 or more isolates with identical genotypes. In addition to having identical genotypes, identical drug resistance patterns were identified in 250 isolates in 78 clusters (DR clusters). Twenty DR clusters, containing isolates from 32% of the total number of patients infected with DR strains, were geographically distributed across Mexico and Texas. Within this population of 919 patients infected with DR isolates, the probability of being in a DR cluster was the same for residents of Mexico and Texas. In Texas, the significant independent predictors of clustering within DR clusters as opposed to genotype clusters were found to be race, age, country of birth, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection status, and resistance to more than one drug. Specifically, isolates from African Americans, individuals under age 65, individuals born in the United States, and HIV-positive individuals were each more likely to be associated with a DR cluster. By contrast, no significant independent predictors of clustering in a DR cluster were identified in Mexico. Although some DR M. tuberculosis strains are geographically restricted, this study suggests that a number of strains are transmitted between Mexico and the United States.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• McCammon, M. T., Gillette, J. S., Thomas, D. P., Ramaswamy, S. V., Graviss, E. A., Kreiswirth, B. N., Vijg, J., Quitugua, T. N. (2005). Detection of rpoB Mutations Associated with Rifampin Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 2200-2209 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• McCammon, M. T., Gillette, J. S., Thomas, D. P., Ramaswamy, S. V., Rosas, I. I., Graviss, E. A., Vijg, J., Quitugua, T. N. (2005). Detection by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis of pncA Mutations Associated with Pyrazinamide Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates from the United States-Mexico Border Region. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 49: 2210-2217 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Garcia de Viedma, D., Bouza, E., Rastogi, N., Sola, C. (2005). Analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Genotypes in Madrid and Identification of Two New Families Specific to Spain-Related Settings. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 1797-1806 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Spurgiesz, R. S., Quitugua, T. N., Smith, K. L., Schupp, J., Palmer, E. G., Cox, R. A., Keim, P. (2003). Molecular Typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Using Nine Novel Variable-Number Tandem Repeats across the Beijing Family and Low-Copy-Number IS6110 Isolates. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 4224-4230 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Dahle, U. R., Sandven, P., Heldal, E., Caugant, D. A. (2003). Continued Low Rates of Transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Norway. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 2968-2973 [Abstract] [Full Text]