Molecular Typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Strains with a Common Two-Band IS6110 Pattern

Abstract

We conducted a population-based molecular typing of all Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates obtained in Alabama since 1994. Of 2,452 isolates, 1,013 (41%) had fewer than 6 bands of IS6110; 348 (14%) had a single two-band pattern (JH2). With conventional epidemiologic methods, we identified three groups of related patients with JH2 isolates. Spoligotyping and pattern of variable number of tandem repeats identified 10 molecular groups; two found by conventional methods were subdivided.

Keywords

• tuberculosis (TB) genotyping
• molecular epidemiology
• homeless
• variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR)
• spoligotype
• United States