Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotype and case notification rates, rural Vietnam, 2003-2006

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 15; no. 10; pp. 1570 - 1577
• Main Authors: Buu, Tran N, Huyen, Mai N T, Lan, Nguyen N T, Quy, Hoang T, Hen, Nguyen V, Zignol, Matteo, Borgdorff, Martien W, van Soolingen, Dick, Cobelens, Frank G J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01-10-2009; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Analysis; bacteria; Care and treatment; Development and progression; Disease transmission; Drug resistance in microorganisms; Female; Genetic aspects; genotype; Health aspects; HIV infection; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Mycobacterium tuberculosis - genetics; Population genetics; Prevalence studies (Epidemiology); Public health; Risk factors; Rural Population; trends; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis and other mycobacteria; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - epidemiology; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - microbiology; Vietnam; Vietnam - epidemiology; Young Adult; Vietnam
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid1510.090170

Tuberculosis case notification rates (CNRs) for young adults in Vietnam are increasing. To determine whether this finding could reflect emergence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing genotype, we studied all new sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients registered for treatment in 3 rural districts in Vietnam during 2003-2006. Beijing strain infections were more frequent in younger patients (15-24 years of age, 53%) than in older patients (31%; p<0.001). The increase in CNRs for youngest patients was larger for disease caused by the Beijing genotype than by other genotypes, but the difference was not significant. For patients 15-24 years of age, 85% of fluctuations in CNRs between years was caused by fluctuations in Beijing genotype infections compared with 53% and 23% in the groups 25-64 and >or=65 years of age, respectively (p<0.001). These findings suggest that young adults may be responsible for introducing Beijing strains into rural Vietnam.