DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwh065 Diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates in an Immigrant Population: Evidence against a Founder Effect

Population-based studies have used DNA typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis organisms to estimate the extent of ongoing tuberculosis transmission in various communities and to characterize associated risk factors. The finding of matched DNA “fingerprints ” among isolates from an immigrant subgroup may reflect transmission in the adopted country but could also reflect limited diversity among M. tuberculosis organisms within that immigrant community. The authors sought to determine which hypothesis is more likely to explain the hig