Transcontinental spread of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium bovis.

Long, R; Nobert, E; Chomyc, S; van Embden, J; McNamee, C; Duran, R R; Talbot, J; Fanning, A · Am J Respir Crit Care Med · 1999

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

Globally, the proportion of all cases of tuberculosis (TB) caused by drug-resistant strains is increasing. We report the case of a Canadian citizen who acquired a highly drug-resistant strain of Mycobacterium bovis while visiting a relative with AIDS-related tuberculosis in Spain. The origin of the strain was traced using spoligotyping, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based fingerprint technology, and the European DNA database. The level of primary drug resistance-all five first-line drugs and 19 of 21 second-line drugs-in this case was unprecedented in Canada. Isolation of this strain from a Canadian citizen represents the first report of its appearance in this hemisphere. The infection was contained and combined medical-surgical treatment delivered.

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