Mycobacterium tuberculosisis the causative agent of tuberculosis in the southern ecological zones of Cameroon, as shown by genetic analysis

Jean Paul Assam Assam, Véronique Penlap Beng, Fidelis Cho-Ngwa, Michel Toukam, Ane-Anyangwe Irene Ngoh, Mercy Kitavi, Inoster Nzuki, Juliette N Nyonka, Emilienne Tata, Jean Claude Tedom, Robert A Skilton, Roger Pelle, Vincent P K Titanji

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of mortality and suffering worldwide, with over 95% of TB deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. In recent years, molecular typing methods have been widely used in epidemiological studies to aid the control of TB, but this usage has not been the case with many African countries, including Cameroon. The aims of the present investigation were to identify and evaluate the diversity of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) isolates circulating in two ecological zones of Cameroon, seven years after the last studies in the West Region, and after the re-organization of the National TB Control Program (NTBCP). These were expected to shed light also on the transmission of TB in the country. The study was conducted from February to July 2009. During this period, 169 patients with symptomatic disease and with sputum cultures that were positive for MTBC were randomly selected for the study from amongst 964 suspected patients in the savannah mosaic zone (West and North West regions) and the tropical rainforest zone (Central region). After culture and diagnosis, DNA was extracted from each of the MTBC isolates and transported to the BecA-ILRI Hub in Nairobi, Kenya for molecular analysis.