Kubín M., Havelková M., Hynčicová I., Mezenský L., Sklenář V., Kremer K., vanSoolingen D.: Microepidemic of Tuberculosis in the South Moravian Region

Overview

In the South Moravian region which is the area with the lowest prevalence of bacillary tuberculosisin the Czech Republic (6.6 per 100 000 population in 1996) in 1993–1996 a total of six local and familymicroepidemics of tuberculosis were detected. For their identification the RFLP fingerprintingmethod was used based on evidence of repeated sequence of IS6110 in the chromosomal DNA of theexamined strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis predigested with restrictive enzyme PvuII. Theprofiles of fingerprints of each microepidemic were included by means of a computer programmeinto the hierarchy of the fingerprint dendrogram of 184 strains of M. tuberculosis which made itpossible to identify possible identical profiles of strains from patients from remote places in theCzech Republic.In three family microepidemics involving always two members no identical fingerprint profiles ofother Czech strains of M. tuberculosis were revealed. To the fourth cluster formed by six membersof one family an identical RFLP profile of a female patient living in a nearby locality was added. Inanother microepidemic recorded in three brothers identical fingerprints were found another fourpatients from the South Moravian region and in one from the Central Bohemian region. The lastcluster of two brothers was surprisingly enlarged by six identical RFLP profiles of patients fromthe West Bohemian region and one from Prague. These findings suggest that in areas with a lowprevalence tuberculosis persists more frequently than in areas with a high prevalence as familialor local microepidemics.

Key words:
Mycobacterium tuberculosis – South Moravian region – microepidemic of tuberculosis.