RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To identify the Beijing family strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) in order to find out the distribution of the Beijing family strain in the south region of Xinjiang, and therefore to provide scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis and the study of molecular epidemiology. METHODS: From Kashi and Hetian Pulmonary Hospitals and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the M. tuberculosis strain were collected and isolated from the sputum of inpatients and registered cases infected with M. tuberculosis, from January to June of 2009. The Beijing family strain was identified by RD105 deletion test. The statistical description was performed using frequency and percentage. RESULTS: A total of 200 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis was collected. By means of RD105 deletion test, these strains were typed into 2 groups: the Beijing family and the non-Beijing family. Seventy-nine strains belonged to the Beijing family (79/200, 39.5%) and 121 strains to the non-Beijing family (121/200, 60.5%). CONCLUSION: M. tuberculosis of the Beijing family strain is prevalent at a common level in Uygur living in the south region of Xinjiang. It needs to be investigated whether the Beijing family strain of M. tuberculosis is the predominant strain in the whole region.
