Isolation of Mycobacterium Bovis from Tuberculosis Patients in Zanjan Province (2013)

Background and Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) is amongst the common infectious diseases in the world so that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it as a global emergency as well as an extremely contagious disease. Although the cause of the disease and its therapy are well known, TB is considered as a global dilemma. The present study was set to isolate and identify Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex by PCR-RD typing from TB patients in Zanjan province and to verify cases of zoonotic tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: In this study, 27 positive samples were collected from center of pulmonary diseases and tuberculosis in Zanjan Province during 2013 and were grown on Lowenstein–Jensen medium (LJP and LJG). DNA was extracted from the bacterial isolates by Van Solengen method and at genus level identification was done by PCR-16SrRNA. To confirm the mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, PCR-IS6110 was used. Identification of species was performed by PCR-RD typing (RD1, RD4, RD9 and RD12). Results: A total of 27 isolates were obtained which were identified as genus Mycobacterium belonging to Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Twenty five of the isolates were Mycobacterium tuberculosis while 2 isolates were identified as M.bovis. Conclusion: The results of the study indicates that M.bovis species is present among the human TB cases in Zanjan province, which indicates the zoonotic potential of the species and the possible transmission of the species from animals to humans. These results might be alarming owing to the spread of the bovine strains among the human subjects. Thus, it is essential that during research on suspected human TB cases, the zoonotic species capable of transmission from animal to human be considered.