Sistema de Salut de Catalunya
[Bordoy A, Leonov V, Soler L, Antuori A, Panisello‑Yagüe D, Cardona PJ, Saludes V, Martró E] Departament de Microbiologia, Laboratori Clínic Metropolitana Nord, Institut de Recerca Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain. [Bordoy A, Panisello‑Yagüe D, Comas I, Saludes V, Martró E] CIBER en Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain. [López MG, Moreno-Molina M, Comas I] Unitat de Genòmica de la Tuberculosis, Institut de Biomedicina de València (IBV, CSIC), València, Spain. [Sicart‑Torres E, Gavaldà L, Mendioroz J] Agència de Salut Pública de Catalunya, Departament de Salut, Generalitat de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. [Panisello‑Yagüe D, Cardona PJ, Saludes V, Martró E] Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain. [Cardona PJ] CIBER en Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.
Departament de Salut
2026-03-23T08:57:43Z
2026-03-23T08:57:43Z
2026-03-20
Extrapulmonary form; Hotspots; Migration; Spatiotemporal clusters; Whole-genome sequencing
Forma extrapulmonar; Punts calents; Migració; Clústers espaciotemporals; Seqüenciació del genoma complet
Forma extrapulmonar; Puntos calientes; Migración; Clústeres espaciotemporales; Secuenciación del genoma completo
Aim We aimed to characterize the spatial structure of MTBC (sub)lineages in Catalonia, assess their associations with clinical and epidemiological factors, and identify spatiotemporal hotspots of cases belonging to the same sublineage. Methods Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was performed on 783 MTBC isolates collected across Catalonia from December 2021 to June 2023. Lineages and sublineages were assigned using SNP-based typing. Associations with clinical presentation, country of origin, and migration timing were evaluated using logistic regression and Fisher’s exact test. SaTScan was used to identify space–time clusters of selected (sub)lineages. Results Lineage 4/Euro-American predominated (83%), with L4.1.2/Haarlem, L4.3/LAM, and L4.10/PGG3 widely distributed, particularly among Spanish-born individuals and long-term migrants. L1/EAI, L2/Beijing, L3/CAS, and L4.1.1/X showed geographically restricted patterns, predominantly linked to migrants from India, Pakistan, China, and Peru. L1/EAI, L3/CAS, and L4.10/PGG3 were significantly associated with extrapulmonary TB. Sublineage diversity increased from sparsely to densely populated areas. Spatiotemporal analysis identified four significant clusters involving L1/EAI, L3/CAS, and L4.10/PGG3 across seven counties, mainly within the Barcelona Metropolitan Area, with L4.10/PGG3 showing the strongest clustering. Conclusion L4 sublineages predominate in Catalonia, whereas L1/EAI, L2/Beijing, and L3/CAS are more geographically restricted and predominantly associated with migrants. The presence of sublineage-specific hotspots in dense urban areas highlights the role of migration dynamics and urbanization in shaping TB transmission.
Article
Published version
English
Tuberculosi - Genètica - Catalunya; DISEASES::Bacterial Infections and Mycoses::Bacterial Infections::Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections::Actinomycetales Infections::Mycobacterium Infections::Tuberculosis; PHENOMENA AND PROCESSES::Genetic Phenomena::Genetic Variation; Catalonia; Other subheadings::Other subheadings::Other subheadings::/genetics; PUBLIC HEALTH::Population Studies in Public Health::Population Dynamics::Human Migration; ENFERMEDADES::infecciones bacterianas y micosis::infecciones bacterianas::infecciones por bacterias grampositivas::infecciones por Actinomycetales::micobacteriosis::tuberculosis; FENÓMENOS Y PROCESOS::fenómenos genéticos::variación genética; Cataluña; SALUD PÚBLICA::Estudios Poblacionales en Salud Pública::dinámica poblacional::migración humana
Frontiers
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
