Subtle genotypic changes can be observed soon after diagnosis in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

Int J Med Microbiol. 2016 Sep;306(6):401-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2016.05.007. Epub 2016 May 16.

Abstract

Clonal variants of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) coexist in specific patients, although the dynamics of their emergence is unknown. We used MIRU-VNTR to detect microevolution leading to variants of MTB in 3 out of 19 patients (15%) soon after diagnosis (61-85days). Most harbored SNPs and for some of them a potential functional role was suggested. Microevolution in tuberculosis seems to occur sooner and more often than expected and could affect tracking of transmission.

Keywords: Clonal complexity; MIRU-VNTR; Microevolution; Tuberculosis.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptation, Biological
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Evolution, Molecular*
  • Female
  • Genetic Variation*
  • Genotyping Techniques
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / genetics*
  • Mycobacterium tuberculosis / isolation & purification*
  • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
  • Tuberculosis / diagnosis*
  • Tuberculosis / microbiology*