A case of laboratory cross-contamination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis identified using comparative genomics
OBJECTIVE: To report the effectiveness of comparative genomics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis for identification of cross-contamination cases.
DESIGN: Case report of laboratory cross-contamination.
RESULTS: Beginning with detection of an identical genotype in two M. tuberculosis strains using variable number of tandem repeat typing, we suspected M. tuberculosis cross-contamination of specimens collected in a mycobacteriology laboratory based on epidemiological investigations. This suspicion was confirmed using comparative genomics of the two M. tuberculosis strains and a strain from an epidemiologically unrelated specimen from the same batch as the two strains in the mycobacteriology laboratory. All strains had an identical genomic sequence with no single nucleotide variants.
CONCLUSION: Comparative genomics, which offers the highest discrimination power, is a potent tool for identifying laboratory cross-contamination using epidemiological investigations.
Keywords: VNTR typing; acid-fast bacilli smear test; false-positive; side effects; unnecessary treatment
Document Type: Research Article
Affiliations: 1: Yamagata Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Yamagata 2: Nagasaki University, Nagasaki 3: Murayama Public Health Center, Yamagata 4: Okitama Public Health Center, Yamagata 5: Shonai Public Health Center, Yamagata, Japan 6: Yamagata Prefectural Institute of Public Health, Yamagata, Murayama Public Health Center, Yamagata
Publication date: October 1, 2018
This article was made available online on August 2, 2018 as a Fast Track article with title: "A case of laboratory cross-contamination of
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.
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