Implementation of a molecular typing system to support epidemiological investigations in the tuberculosis health care system in Vienna.

Tuberculosis continues to be one of the predominant infectious diseases. Effective control of its spread requires that sources of infection and routes of transmission be disclosed as quickly as possible. At present such investigations are still performed by conventional epidemiological methods. In the recent past, however, molecular typing systems were added to the spectrum of epidemiological tools. Unfortunately, they were applied to retrospective investigations rather than used as an aid in the health care system. In this study, 515 Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains isolated during 1997 and 1998 in Vienna were analysed by spoligotyping, a molecular technique requiring no further cultivation of mycobacteria. The study was aimed to assess the suitability of the method as a quick means of disclosing new cases. Thus, clusters obtained by spoligotyping were analysed along with demographic and epidemiological data and compared with clusters obtained by conventional epidemiological techniques alone. In addition, spoligotype-forming clusters were matched with an international database containing spoligotypes from four different studies. Of 515 isolates, 107 showed an unique pattern. The remaining 408 isolates were distributed into two large clusters of 82 and 73 isolates and into 49 smaller ones consisting of 2 to 33 isolates each. The two spoligotypes forming the large clusters were identical with the most prevalent spoligotypes in the world. Therefore, for the tuberculosis authorities, information was only gained by excluding rather than tracing possible ways of transmission. Twenty-two of the 49 spoligotypes forming smaller clusters were identical with strains found in other parts of the world. Seventeen of 22 infection chains assumed by conventional investigations were confirmed by spoligotyping. In small clusters, an additional 24 infections were assumed due to similarities such as living conditions or socioeconomic status. In 27 clusters, all patients sharing the same strain belong to the same country or geographical area. In conclusion, spoligotyping proved suitable as an early guide in conventional investigations to trace routes of M. tuberculosis transmission in a community. However, when a strain isolated from a patient belongs to a spoligotype shared by many isolates, a second molecular typing method is required.