A first insight into the genetic diversity of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis in Veracruz, Mexico.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most important infectious diseases. Although Mexico is one of the Latin American countries with the largest contribution to these statistics, there are few reports that describe the genotypic characteristics of TB. The aim of this study was to use the MIRU-VNTR-24 loci to analyze the genetic diversity of M. tuberculosis circulating in the state of Veracruz, Mexico.

METHODS: Here, we analyze by MIRU-VNTR-24 loci 80 clinical isolates from individuals with confirmed TB from Veracruz México, also clinical and epidemiological variables were recovered and analyzed.

RESULTS: Of the individuals included in the analyses 65% were from men with an average age of 42 (± 17) years, 17% and 6% were drug and multi-drug resistant. 88% of the isolates were included in 20 clusters, of which 52% were classified into twelve orphan clusters and the remaining 37% were distributed among eight lineages: LAM (10%), EAI (9%), Haarlem (8%), H37Rv (4%), S (4%) and TUR (2%).

CONCLUSION: An important diversity of lineages and unknown genotypes was identified; however, more studies are necessary in order to understand the characteristics of the genotypes displayed in the region. There is no doubt regarding the need for a molecular epidemiological surveillance system that can help to evaluate the dynamics of genotypes circulating in the country and support strategies for the prevention and management of populations affected by TB.