Epidemiology Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Epidemiology, including details on twin studies, statistics, environmental and genetic factors.

Impact of laboratory cross-contamination on molecular epidemiology studies of tuberculosis.

Martínez M, de Viedma DG, Alonso M, Andrés S, Bouza E, Cabezas T, Cabeza I, Reyes A, Sánchez-Yebra W, Rodríguez M, Sánchez MI, Rogado MC, Fernández R, Peñafiel T, Martínez J, Barroso P, Lucerna MA, Diez LF, Gutiérrez C

Complejo Hospitalario Torrecárdenas, Almería, Spain.

Laboratory cross-contamination by Mycobacterium tuberculosis is known to be responsible for the misdiagnosis of tuberculosis, but its impact on other contexts has not been analyzed. We present the findings of a molecular epidemiology analysis in which the recent transmission events identified by a genotyping reference center were overestimated as a result of unnoticed laboratory cross-contamination in the original diagnostic laboratories.

Published 7 August 2006 in J Clin Microbiol, 44(8): 2967-9.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Epidemiology Research Today. All Rights Reserved.