Is International Travel an Emerging Issue on Transmission of Beijing Lineage Mycobacterium tuberculosis?

Is International Travel an Emerging Issue on Transmission of Beijing Lineage Mycobacterium tuberculosis? J Trop Med. 2020;2020:9357426 Authors: Madamarandawala PS, Satyanarayana S, Timire C, Yaqoob A, Madegedara D, Magana-Arachchi DN Abstract Mycobacterium tuberculosis belonging to Beijing sublineage (BL) is associated with high tuberculosis (TB) transmission, multidrug resistance, and adverse treatment outcomes. Sri Lanka experiences an increase in the number of travellers/workers to and from high TB-burden countries, and there is risk of getting BL strains imported into the country. In this context, a cohort study was conducted to assess the prevalence of BL strains among pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) patients in the Kandy district of Sri Lanka (a popular tourist destination) and its association with patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. The study population included sputum smear-positive PTB patients diagnosed from February 2018-July 2019. Fresh sputum samples were collected for culturing and conducted polymerase chain reaction using BL-specific primers. Among the 101 patients recruited, presence of BL strains could be ascertained in 94 patients of which 24 (26%; 95% CI: 18%-35%) had BL strains. Prevalence of BL strains was higher among those with high sputum smear grades (2+ and 3+) (P < 0.05) and those who had travelled abroad (P < 0.05). The prevalence was also higher among young people (aged <35 year...
Source: Journal of Tropical Medicine - Category: Tropical Medicine Tags: J Trop Med Source Type: research