Abstract

Mohammad Asgharzadeh*, Hossein Samadi Kafil, Kazem Najati and Khalil Ansarin

Mycobacterium tuberculosis is responsible for considerable human morbidity and mortality worldwide. Based on the presence or absence of M. tuberculosis specific deletion (TbD1), M. tuberculosis isolates are divided into ancestral and modern strains. The aim of this study was to differentiate ancestral and modern M. tuberculosis in northwest of Iran. 165 M. tuberculosis strains were isolated from West and East Azarbaijan provinces of Iran. Ancient and modern M. tuberculosis isolates were distinguished by primer specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This study showed that 49 (29.7%) of the isolates were modern M. tuberculosis and 116 (70.3%) were ancestral M. tuberculosis. The prevalence of modern M. tuberculosis in West Azarbaijan was relatively higher than that of East Azarbaijan. Considering the increasing rate of modern M. tuberculosis in the studied region and in world, which has resulted in multi-drug resistance and low preventive effect of bacillus of calmette and guerin (BCG) vaccine, the fast diagnosis, prevention, treatment and more controlling programs of the infection, is important in this region.