RESUMEN
Purpose : The purpose of this study was to understand the molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis in Khorasan province of Iran was studied by spoligotyping 113 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. The spoligotyping results were in comparison to the word Spoligotyping Database of Institute Pasteur de Guadeloupe (SpolDB4). Spoligotyping data from Iran has rarely been described and there is limited information on the major circulating clades of M. tuberculosis in Iran. Materials and Methods: Spoligotyping was performed on 113 M. tuberculosis isolates from Mashhad patients between November 2004 and September 2005. Results: The study found 57 spoligopatterns. 17 clusters and 32 true orphan genotype. The biggest cluster with 13 isolates had not been previously reported. The Beijing genotype was seen in eight (7.1%) isolates. Conclusions: Genotyping and Spoligotyping gives a unifying framework for both epidemiology and evolutionary analysis of M. tuberculosis populations.