A study on Beijing genotype in the clinical isolates of pulmonary drug-resistant tuberculosis

Background: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) Beijing strains are spread worldwide and are responsible for major outbreaks of tuberculosis (TB), sometimes spreading multidrug resistance (MDR). Aim: The aim of this study was to explore clinical features associated with the infection with Beijing strains among MDR patients of pulmonary TB in Lucknow and surrounding areas. Materials and Methods: It was a hospital-based epidemiological study. Our study population was selected from all the newly diagnosed patients attending outpatient department and admitted patients of Department of Respiratory Medicine, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Those isolates which were characterized to be MTB by morphological and molecular techniques were tested for their resistance against the first-line drugs; after which each patient's isolate was genotyped. Results: The results suggested that the presence of Beijing genotype in 31.78% of strains. Conclusion: Our results predicted that genotypic patterns reveal a large diversity among the MTB Beijing strain population. Increasing frequency of Beijing strains demands further research to unravel the factors behind its propensity to prevail.