Typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures from Samara region by the variable number of tandem repeats

To type Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MT) strains by the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR), 136 MT cultures, isolated in 5 main general therapeutic laboratories and penitentiary antituberculosis institutions of the Samara region, were studied. Gene typing revealed that the greatest number of MT strains (73) belonged to VNTR type 42435. It was followed by VNTR type 22232, found in 13 isolated cultures. Among the MT cultures of the most widely spread VNTR type 42435, rifampicin-resistant strains prevailed (57 strains, i.e. 78%), while strains belonging to VNTR type 22232 were mainly sensitive to rifampicin (84%). VNTR typing of MT typing may be useful for epidemiological studies in the field of phthisiology.