Skip to main content
Home / The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Volume 6, Number 6

Predominant VNTR family of strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from South Asian patients

Buy Article:

$34.78 + tax (Refund Policy)

SETTING: Despite the low incidence of tuberculosis in the UK, some minority ethnic groups, particularly those originating from South Asia, experience very high incidence rates.

OBJECTIVE: Comparison of the variable number tandem repeat (VNTR) profiles of strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis circulating in an immigrant community in the UK with those found in the country of ethnic origin.

DESIGN: Isolates of M. tuberculosis were collected from samples obtained from patients attending clinics in Leeds and Bradford, UK and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Strains were compared using VNTR analysis and mixed-linker PCR.

RESULTS: Comparison of VNTR profiles found that one profile (42235) represented 37% of patient isolates from Rawalpindi and 23% of patient isolates in Leeds and Bradford, where it was associated exclusively with patients with South Asian names. A second profile (02235) represented 15% of patient isolates in Leeds and Bradford, and was also exclusively associated with the South Asian community. These profiles could be subdivided by mixed-linker PCR analysis.

CONCLUSION: The VNTR profile 42235 may represent a family of strains commonly found in communities associated with South Asia.

Keywords: Pakistan; VNTR analysis; ethnicity; strain typing

Document Type: Regular Paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Microbiology, The General Infirmary, Leeds, UK; and the Division of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Leeds, Leeds, UK 2: Division of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Leeds, Leeds, UK 3: Bradford Health Authority, Shipley, Bradford, UK 4: Association for Social Development, Islamabad, Pakistan 5: Department of Microbiology, The Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Dow Medical College and Civil Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan 6: Department of Microbiology, The General Infirmary, Leeds, UK 7: TB Service, St LukeÕs Hospital, Bradford, UK 8: Department of Microbiology, The General Infirmary, Leeds, UK; the Division of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The University of Leeds, Leeds, UK; and the Division of Immunity and Infection, University of Birmingham, Bir

Publication date: June 1, 2002

More about this publication?

  • The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is for clinical research and epidemiological studies on lung health, including articles on TB, TB-HIV and respiratory diseases such as COVID-19, asthma, COPD, child lung health and the hazards of tobacco and air pollution. Individuals and institutes can subscribe to the IJTLD online or in print – simply email us at [email protected] for details.

    The IJTLD is dedicated to understanding lung disease and to the dissemination of knowledge leading to better lung health. To allow us to share scientific research as rapidly as possible, the IJTLD is fast-tracking the publication of certain articles as preprints prior to their publication. Read fast-track articles.

  • Editorial Board
  • Information for Authors
  • Subscribe to this Title
  • International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
  • Public Health Action
  • Ingenta Connect is not responsible for the content or availability of external websites

Share Content

  • Access Key
  • Free content
  • Partial Free content
  • New content
  • Open access content
  • Partial Open access content
  • Subscribed content
  • Partial Subscribed content
  • Free trial content