Geospatial distribution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis genotypes in Africa.
Violet N ChihotaAntoinette NiehausElizabeth M StreicherXia WangSamantha L SampsonPeter MasonGunilla KälleniusSayoki Godfrey MfinangaMarnomorney PillayMarisa KlopperWebster KasongoMarcel A BehrNicolaas C Gey van PittiusPaul D van HeldenDavid CouvinNalin RastogiRobin M WarrenPublished in: PloS one (2018)
This study highlighted that the TB epidemic in Africa is driven by regional epidemics characterized by genetically distinct lineages of M. tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis in these regions may have been introduced from either Europe or Asia and has spread through pastoralism, mining and war. The vast array of genotypes and their associated phenotypes should be considered when designing future vaccines, diagnostics and anti-TB drugs.