Molecular characterization of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MDR-TB) isolates identifies local transmission of infection in Kuwait, a country with a low incidence of TB and MDR-TB.

Our study provides the first insight into molecular epidemiology of MDR-TB in Kuwait and identified several potential clusters of local transmission of MDR-TB involving 2-6 subjects which had escaped detection by routine surveillance studies. Prospective detection of resistance-conferring mutations can identify possible cases of local transmission of MDR-TB in low MDR-TB settings.