Caractérisation moléculaire et biodiversité de Mycobacterium tuberculosisdans la région Antilles-Guyane et analyse comparative à une région métropolitaine, l'Aquitaine Molecular characterization and biodiversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosisin French overseas departments (French West-Indies and French Guiana) as compared to an area from metropolitan France (Aquitaine)

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious infectious disease in recrudescence whose epidemiologic monitoring is reinforced by molecular biology. In this context, we were particularly interested in the cases of tuberculosis of French West Indies and French Guiana (FWI-FG). This study covered a period of two years (1997 and 1998) and focused on the demographical and epidemiological characteristics of the cases diagnosed by an analysis of their genotypes. Our results were confronted with a French metropolitan area (Aquitaine) with similar demographic background. Moreover, Aquitaine area has privileged links with FWI-FG region and also has a similar network for monitoring tuberculosis as ours. So we used a PCR method called spoligotyping as a first line method to optimize the alternative IS6110–RFLP method