Tuberculosis enhanced transmission due to interterritorial mobility and prolonged diagnostic delay: A call for an integrated genomic analysis
International Journal of Infectious Diseases·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.ijid.2026.109061
- PMID
- 42624283
- PMCID
- —
- OpenAlex
- —
- Study type
- Genomic study
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
The findings illustrate the need for integrated cross-regional genomic surveillance and improved diagnostic timeliness to address tuberculosis transmission in increasingly mobile and diverse populations.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
The study examined how integrating genomic data across independent populations and conducting detailed epidemiological investigation could improve understanding of tuberculosis transmission involving cross-regional movement and diagnostic delay.
Study design
The authors integrated sequencing data from two Spanish regions (Madrid and Almería), performed evolutionary analysis of SNPs in a transmission cluster, conducted standardized detailed patient interviews to identify epidemiological links, and used targeted sequencing of strain-marker-SNPs to rapidly identify new cases.
Population and setting
The cluster included 13 cases across two independent Spanish populations (Madrid and Almería), involving six different nationalities as well as autochthonous cases, with the majority of cases either exposed or diagnosed in one of the two locations.
Main findings
The cluster exhibited complex transmission patterns driven by interterritorial movement of migrant cases, amplified transmission from an undiagnosed advanced TB case, extensive exposures at large social gatherings, and involvement of two geographically distinct populations.
Public-health relevance
The findings illustrate the need for integrated cross-regional genomic surveillance and improved diagnostic timeliness to address tuberculosis transmission in increasingly mobile and diverse populations.
Important limitations
This summary relies on the supplied single-article abstract and metadata. Full interpretation of study limitations, including sample representativeness, generalizability beyond the two Spanish regions, and completeness of epidemiological linkage ascertainment, requires access to the complete published paper.
GIDS interpretation
The article was identified through classifier links to tuberculosis, diagnostics, genomic epidemiology, surveillance, and transmission dynamics. It demonstrates methodological advances in cross-jurisdictional genomic analysis but does not represent or confirm a current tuberculosis outbreak signal.
Related GIDS surveillance
Literature context does not validate, explain, or change a surveillance signal. Exact and contextual relationships are shown separately.
Evidence relationships
This article has 8 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.