Castro-Rodriguez B, Espinoza-Andrade S, Franco-Sotomayor G, Benítez-Medina JM, Jiménez-Pizarro N, Cárdenas-Franco C, Granda JC, Jouvin JL, Orlando SA, Hermoso de Mendoza J, García-Bereguiain MÁ. A first insight into tuberculosis transmission at the border of Ecuador and Colombia: a retrospective study of the population structure of
Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Esmeraldas province.
Front Public Health 2024;
12:1343350. [PMID:
38384875 PMCID:
PMC10879341 DOI:
10.3389/fpubh.2024.1343350]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern in Ecuador and Colombia, considering that both countries are high-burden TB settings. Molecular epidemiology is crucial to understand the transmission dynamics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) and to identify active transmission clusters of regional importance.
Methods
We studied the potential transmission of TB between Colombia and Ecuador through the analysis of the population structure of MTBC lineages circulating in the Ecuadorian province of Esmeraldas at the border with Colombia. A total of 105 MTBC strains were characterized by 24-loci MIRU-VNTR and spoligotyping.
Results
MTBC lineage 4 is only present in Esmeraldas; no MTBC strains belonging to Lineage 2-sublineage Beijing were found despite its presence in other provinces of Ecuador and, in Colombia. Genotyping results revealed a high degree of diversity for MTBC in Esmeraldas: Neither active transmission clusters within this province nor including MTBC strains from Colombia or other provinces of Ecuador were found.
Conclusion
Our data suggest that tuberculosis dynamics in this rural and isolated area may be not related to highly transmitted strains but could be influenced by other health determinants that favor TB relapse such as poverty and poor health system access. Further studies including a larger number of MTBC strains from Esmeraldas are necessary to test this hypothesis.
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