Mycobacterium tuberculosis spoligotypes circulating in the Syrian population: A retrospective study

ObjectivesTo characterize by spoligotyping clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) collected between July 2003 and October 2005 from all Syrian provinces (muhafazat).MethodsAll isolates (n = 96) were cultured and identified by biochemical characteristics. DNA extracts of these samples were amplified by PCR and genotyped by spoligotyping.ResultsTwelve patterns were identified: 46.8% of the strains belonged to T 1 family; 20.8% to LAM 9; 10.4% to CAS; 9.3% to Haarlem 3; 4.1% to Haarlem 1; 2.1% to Family 34; and 1% to each of Family 36, EAI 5, LAM 1, LAM 8, T 3, and X 3 families. The noticeable absence of the Beijing family was not consistent with the patterns reported in most neighboring countries.ConclusionA more inclusive study of the Syrian population is necessary to more accurately identify most of the prevailing families in the country.