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

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 conduct

SUBMITTER: Madamarandawala PS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7474789 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature