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Drug resistance is a global threat and one of the main contributing factors to tuberculosis (TB) outbreaks. The goal of this study was to analyse the molecular profile of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. Fifty-three MDR Mycobacterium tuberculosisclinical isolates were analysed by spoligotyping and a partial region of therpoB gene, which is associated with rifampicin resistance (RMP-R), was sequenced. Some isolates were also distinguished by their mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units (MIRU). S531L was the most prevalent mutation found within rpoBin RMP-R isolates (58.5%), followed by S531W (20.8%). Only two MDR isolates showed no mutations withinrpoB. Isolates of the Latin American Mediterranean (LAM) family were the most prevalent (45.3%) found by spoligotyping, followed by Haarlem (9.4%) and T (7.5%) families. SIT106 was found in 26.4% of isolates and all SIT106 isolates typed by MIRU-12 (5 out of 14) belong to MIT251. There was a high correlation between the S531W mutation and the LAM family mainly because all SIT2263 (LAM9) isolates carry this mutation. Among isolates with the S531W mutation in rpoB MIRU demonstrates a cluster formed by four isolates (SIT2263 and MIT163) and very similar profiles were observed between eight of the nine isolates. Better characterisation of TB isolates may lead to new ways in which to control and treat TB in this region of Brazil.

OBJETIVO: Identificar micobactérias não tuberculosas (MNT) isoladas de sítios estéreis em pacientes internados no Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Rio de Janeiro (RJ) entre 2001 e 2006. MÉTODOS: Durante o período do estudo, 34 isolados de MNT de sítios estéreis de 14 pacientes, a maioria HIV positivos, foram submetidos a identificação fenotípica e hsp65 PCR-restriction enzyme analysis (PRA, análise por enzimas de restrição por PCR do gene hsp65). RESULTADOS: A maioria dos isolados foi identificada como Mycobacterium avium, seguida por M. monacense, M. kansasii e M. abscessus em menores proporções. CONCLUSÕES: A combinação de PRA, um método relativamente simples e de baixo custo, com algumas características fenotípicas pode fornecer a identificação correta de MNT na rotina de laboratórios clínicos.

An epidemic of infections after video-assisted surgery (1,051 possible cases) caused by rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) and involving 63 hospitals in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, occurred between August 2006 and July 2007. One hundred ninety-seven cases were confirmed by positive acid-fast staining and/or culture techniques. Thirty-eight hospitals had cases confirmed by mycobacterial culture, with a total of 148 available isolates recovered from 146 patients. Most ( n = 144; 97.2%) isolates presented a PRA- hsp65 restriction pattern suggestive of Mycobacterium bolletii or Mycobacterium massiliense . Seventy-four of these isolates were further identified by hsp65 or rpoB partial sequencing, confirming the species identification as M. massiliense . Epidemic isolates showed susceptibility to amikacin (MIC at which 90% of the tested isolates are inhibited [MIC 90 ], 8 μg/ml) and clarithromycin (MIC 90 , 0.25 μg/ml) but resistance to ciprofloxacin (MIC 90 , ≥32 μg/ml), cefoxitin (MIC 90 , 128 μg/ml), and doxycycline (MIC 90 , ≥64 μg/ml). Representative epidemic M. massiliense isolates that were randomly selected, including at least one isolate from each hospital where confirmed cases were detected, belonged to a single clone, as indicated by the analysis of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns. They also had the same PFGE pattern as that previously observed in two outbreaks that occurred in other Brazilian cities; we designated this clone BRA100. All five BRA100 M. massiliense isolates tested presented consistent tolerance to 2% glutaraldehyde. This is the largest epidemic of postsurgical infections caused by RGM reported in the literature to date in Brazil.

This study evaluated the biodiversity of 28 clinical and 24 environmental Mycobacterium isolates from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by using hsp65 sequences, with the aim of contributing to a better understanding of the genetic diversity and usefulness of this marker. An extensive phylogenetic analysis was performed. The nucleotide diversity was similar between clinical (0.06508) and environmental (0.06221) isolates.

Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is useful for understanding disease transmission dynamics, and to establish strategic measures for TB control and prevention. The aim of this study was to analyze clinical, epidemiological and molecular characteristics of MTBC clinical isolates from Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. During one-year period, 406 clinical isolates of MTBC were collected from Central Laboratory of Public Health and typed by spoligotyping. Demographic and clinical data were collected from the Brazilian National Mandatory Disease Reporting System. The majority of cases occurred in highest population densities regions and about 50% had some condition associated with TB. Among all isolates, 5.7% were MDR, which showed association with drug addiction. LAM was the most predominant lineage with 47.5%, followed by the T superfamily with 25.9% and Haarlem with 12.3%. The MST showed two major groups: the first was formed mainly by the LAM lineage and the second was mainly formed by the T and Haarlem lineages. Others lineages were distributed in peripheral positions. This study provides the first insight into the population structure of M. tuberculosis in SC State. Spoligotyping and other genotyping analyses are important to establish strategic measures for TB control and prevention.

We developed a Reverse Hybridization Assay (RHA) slightly modified from the Rifoligotyping assay and analyzed the presence of mutations in a specific region of rpoB gene in 157 isolates (90 rifampin-resistant and 67 rifampin sensitive) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from patients attended in South and Southeast region of Brazil. Comparing to standardized drug susceptibility testing results, the sensitivity and specificity of the RHA was respectively 93% (95% IC: 86.6%–97.2%) and 100% respectively. Additionally, a high agreement (kappa coefficient 95%) between the RHA assay and sequencing was obtained. Among the 90 rifampicin-resistant isolates, RHA identified point mutations in the following codons: 42 isolates (46.6%) in 531; 29 isolates (32.2%) in 526, 6 isolates (6.7%) in 516, 3 isolates (3.3%) in 522, 2 isolates (2.2%) in 515, 514, 513 and 1 isolate (1.1%) in 511, 524 and 525. Mutations in different codons were simultaneously identified in 8 isolates (8.9%). The RHA used in the present study had a high accuracy and can be rapidly performed. However, more reproducible hybridization conditions should be looked for to increase reliability of mutant probe interpretation.

The presence of mutations in specific regions of the katG , inhA , and ahpC genes was analyzed with 69 Mycobacterium tuberculosis isoniazid-resistant isolates from three Brazilian states. Point mutations in codon 315 of the katG gene were observed in 87.1, 60.9, and 60% of the isolates from Rio Grande do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo, respectively. Mutations in the inhA gene were identified only in one isolate from RJ State, and the ahpC promoter region revealed mutations in distinct positions in 12.9, 21.7, and 6.7% of the isolates from RS, RJ and SP, respectively.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to analyze two DNA extraction methods for use in molecular GBS diagnostics and compare them to the results of culture method. Materials and methods: Two hundred vaginal samples were collected during the antenatal period, as per CDC recommendations, and atr gene polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed. Results: Comparison of the two DNA extraction methods demonstrated 45% concordance. Sensitivity and specificity for 5 M Guanidine DNA extraction were 100% and 86.5%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for the commercial DNA extraction kit were 50% and 95%, respectively. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that 5 M Guanidine DNA extraction was superior to the commercial kit, with PCR presenting a shorter turnaround time than culture. PCR could improve sensitivity and, therefore, may be a useful screening method. Sensitive GBS diagnosis allows for an effective treatment, with decreased newborn morbidity and mortality; therefore, cost-effectiveness studies are necessary to assess the feasibility of implementing PCR in routine laboratories, together with maternity ward collaboration.

BACKGROUND Tuberculosis (TB), one of the major airborne infectious bacterial diseases, remains an important health problem worldwide. It is estimated that there are 1700 new cases per year in Santa Catarina State, Brazil. OBJECTIVE To improve polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sensitivity in detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum samples. METHODS This study proposed the use of glass beads as a modification of the routine protocol for sputum preparation used in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology and Mycobacteria at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil. The study comprised 120 sputum samples, 60 of which were treated with the routine protocol, while 60 were treated with the modified protocol using glass beads. RESULTS Samples treated with the routine protocol had a sensitivity of 56.7% (95%CI 44.1-69.2) in 16S rRNA PCR and 81.7% (95%CI 71.9-91.5) in insertion sequence (IS) 6110 PCR, compared with culture. Samples treated with the modified protocol had a sensitivity of 73.3% (95%CI 62.1-84.5) in 16S rRNA PCR and 100% in IS6110 PCR. CONCLUSION The modified protocol using glass beads greatly improved mycobacterial detection in sputum samples compared with the routine protocol.

It is estimated that one third of the world population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, resulting in 2 million deaths annually. More than 8 million new cases of tuberculosis (TB) are registered per year worldwide, and Brazil ranks 19th among the top 23 countries with the highest rates of TB. The determining factors for the control of this disease include early detection, appropriate therapy and measures for avoiding transmission. The conventional diagnoses (smear and microorganism culture) have time limitations for implementation and operation, since the result may take up to 60 days to be released. Therefore, early detection is critical for blocking the chain of TB transmission. Mycobacterial diseases caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria are also having a major impact due to increased outbreaks of surgical infections. Thereby, the rapid and specific identification of microorganisms is important for the diagnosis, which will determine the type of treatment (treatment according to species). Knowledge of etiologic agents of mycobacterial diseases, as well as sensitive and specific diagnosis allows proper treatment by blocking the chain of TB transmission and controlling nontuberculous mycobacteria outbreaks.

INTRODUÇÃO: As taxas de resistência aos fármacos constituem um dos pilares da avaliação dos programas de controle da tuberculose. A demora na obtenção dos resultados, conseqüência da metodologia convencional utilizada, faz com que haja a necessidade de avaliação de novos testes, mais rápidos e menos onerosos. OBJETIVO: Comparar técnicas fenotípicas rápidas para determinação do perfil de susceptibilidade de M. tuberculosis, utilizando indicadores de viabilidade celular, com o teste das proporções em Löwenstein-Jensen, padrão-ouro. MÉTODO: Foram utilizadas 166 cepas de M. tuberculosis com o perfil de susceptibilidade conhecido. A concentração mínima inibitória de cada fármaco foi determinada, em microplaca, utilizando-se meio líquido e os indicadores de oxi-redução, Alamar Blue® e brometo de tetrazolium. O ponto de corte entre a cepa sensível e a resistente foi estabelecido como concentração mínima inibitória maior ou igual a 0,2 mg /mL para isoniazida e 1,0 mg /mL para rifampicina. RESULTADOS: Houve concordância total entre os dois métodos de determinação da concentração mínima inibitória. Comparando os resultados dos testes com o padrão-ouro, obteve-se uma concordância de 95%, para isoniazida e rifampicina. O tempo para obtenção dos resultados foi de 7 dias, contrastando com os 28 dias pelo método convencional. CONCLUSÃO: Os testes para determinação da concentração mínima inibitória, em meio líquido, utilizando indicadores de oxi-redução, são rápidos e podem se utilizados como alternativa rápida na determinação de susceptibilidade de cepas de M. tuberculosis. BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the rates of drug resistance is one of the pillars of tuberculosis control program evaluation. Data from low-resource countries are scarce and results are delayed due to the techniques employed. There is therefore an urgent need for evaluation of faster and less onerous testing methods. OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance of rapid colorimetric assays for phenotyping that employ oxidation-reduction indicators to determine the susceptibility profile of Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the gold-standard proportion method on Lowenstein-Jensen Medium. METHOD: We analyzed 166 M. tuberculosis strains of known susceptibility. Minimal inhibition concentrations for isoniazid and rifampicin were determined in microplates, using a liquid medium and Alamar Blue and tetrazolium bromide indicators. To measure agreement the Kappa value was used. Cutoff values between sensitive and resistant strains were defined as 0.2mg/mL and 1.0mg/mL for isoniazid and rifampicin, respectively. RESULTS: There was 100% concordance between Alamar Blue and tetrazolium bromide methods in the determination of minimal inhibition concentrations. Agreement between the colorimetric method and the Lowenstein-Jensen was 95% for isoniazid and rifampicin. Using the colorimetric method, results were obtained within 7 days, in contrast to the 28 days required for the conventional method. CONCLUSIONS: Assays to determine minimal inhibition concentrations in liquid medium and employing oxidation-reduction indicators proved to be rapid and inexpensive. This method has the potential to become a faster, alternative method for determining susceptibility of M. tuberculosis strains in developing countries.