Genotyping of rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from western Turkey

Background: Although the rate of multiple drug resistance is high, there is no published data on the transmission rate of drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Aegean region of western Turkey that are based on molecular methods

Methods: IS6110 and pTBN12 restriction fragment length polymorphism [RFLP] methods were used for typing M. tuberculosis strains isolated from 26 sputum samples from 26 patients

Results: Nineteen of the rifampin-resistant isolates [73.1%] contained 6 to 11 copies of IS6110. Eighteen different IS6110 DNA fingerprint patterns were observed in the 26 rifampin-resistant isolates. Twenty-three of the 26 rifampin-resistant isolates were also resistant to isoniazid. When evaluated together, both methods yielded 21 [80.9%] different banding patterns and the level of clustering was 34.6%. The average number per pattern was 1.23 [26/21]

Conclusion: IS6110 fingerprinting suggests that the rifampin-resistant isolates obtained from the Aegean region had a relatively high clustering rate and were clonally related. These findings showed that the rifampin-resistant isolates are actively transmitted between patients. Urgent measures should be taken to prevent the spread of these resistant strains

Assessment of chlamydia trachomatis prevalence by cell culture and transcription-mediated amplification in symptomatic women

The frequency of Chlamydia trachomatis in women with mucopurulent discharge was determined by a cell culture technique and a transcription-mediated amplification [TMA] assay in endocervical swab specimens. Subjects and Endocervical swab specimens were obtained from 116 symptomatic patients with genitourinary complaints or abdominal pain. All of the women were married, with an age range of between 19 and 44 [median 29] years. The cell culture assay was used in all specimens. For 75 specimens the TMA assay was also performed. Positive cell culture test results were obtained in 6 [5.2%] patients. Among 75 specimens, 2 were positive by both TMA and culture assays, while 1 specimen was positive only by the culture assay. Of those positive for C. trachomatis, 5 were in the 19- to 25-year age group, and 1 was in the >25-year age group. All of the patients with positive results were of low socioeconomic status. Conclusions: This study revealed a relatively low rate of C. trachomatis infections in symptomatic married women in Turkey. A commercial TMA assay failed to identfy all positive patients, in contrast to a 'gold standard' culture assay used in patients having such infections