Clustering of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from foreign-born patients in Korea

Abstract

Information on drug resistance and transmission patterns of tuberculosis (TB) in foreign-born patients is lacking in Asia where immigration is increasing. We examined the drug-resistance profiles of 288 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from foreign-born patients in South Korea, and assessed for potential transmission in the host country by analysing their IS6110 genotypes, as well as those of 4780 strains from native Korean TB patients. The prevalence of multidrugresistant (MDR) TB was 9.7 % and 42 % among new and previously treated patients, respectively. Chinese nationality was associated with MDR TB (OR China 53.0, 95 % CI 1.1-9.3). Of the 288 strains, 51 (17.7 %) formed 31 clusters, of which 22 were identical to strains from native Koreans. A number of strains belonged to the K family, subtypes known to occur endemically in Korea. MDR TB was common, and clustering patterns showed potential cross-cultural transmission among foreign-born TB patients. Further molecular epidemiological studies of all isolates in the area are needed to determine the extent of international TB transmission in Asia.

The epidemiology, pathogenesis, transmission, diagnosis, and management of multidrug-resistant, extensively drug-resistant, and incurable tuberculosis

“…Red=Beijing strain. 103,104,[105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112] Green=LAM9 strain. 113 Light blue=Haarlem1 strain.…”

Achievements in and Challenges of Tuberculosis Control in South Korea

“…The most common countries of origin are China, Mongolia, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam, and North Korea ( 34 ). The proportion of TB patients of foreign nationality has been increasing in recent years, from 0.3% in 2001 to 3.8% in 2013 ( 17 ).…”

Comparing Two Mycobacterium tuberculosis Genomes from Chinese Immigrants with Native Genomes Using Mauve Alignments

“…Considering the similarities of the MTB_2 strain isolated from a male Korean-Chinese (Chosun race) individual who emigrated from Yanbian Province, China, with the native Korean K1 strains (Nos. 1 and 2), he may have been infected with a strain from native Koreans after immigration, as Jeon et al 6 reported, because the Korean K1 strains have been reported as the most widely distributed characteristic strains in South Korea 5 . Otherwise, another plausible explanation is that the strains from Yanbian Province, where Chosun race live because of the geographical proximity to the Korean Peninsula, may have the same lineage as the native Korean K strains.…”

“…However, it is essential to determine the molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates and identify the transmission dynamics in the Korean-Chinese population to define a strategy for immigration TB screening. A clustering of M. tuberculosis strains from native Koreans (K family) was reported 5 , and it was different from that of foreign-born patients according to restriction fragment length polymorphism profile analyses 6 .…”