Integrating genomic and spatial analyses to describe tuberculosis transmission: a scoping review
The Lancet Microbe·
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.lanmic.2025.101094
- PMID
- 40228509
- PMCID
- PMC12371702
- OpenAlex
- W4409358909
- Study type
- Journal article
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Article type
- journal-article
- Integrity
- current
Why this research matters now
This synthesis is relevant because it frames genomic-spatial methods as useful for describing local tuberculosis transmission patterns and identifying areas of concentration. The abstract presents these tools as promising for research and interpretation, while noting that additional methodological development is needed.
Structured evidence summary
Research question
What has the literature reported about the spatial distribution of tuberculosis transmission when pathogen genetics are examined together with location data?
Study design
Scoping review of studies that combined Mycobacterium tuberculosis genetic data with geographic or location information. The review identified 142 studies published from 1994 to 2024.
Population and setting
The evidence concerns tuberculosis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis studies included in the review. The abstract does not specify a single country, region, or clinical setting.
Main findings
The review reports a shift in methods over time, with whole-genome sequencing increasingly replacing lower-resolution genotyping after 2020. It describes four recurring research themes: geographic clustering of cases and transmission groups, possible spatial hotspots, factors linked to clustering, and the relation between case proximity and genetic similarity. The authors conclude that combining spatial and genomic data can improve understanding of local transmission patterns.
Public-health relevance
This synthesis is relevant because it frames genomic-spatial methods as useful for describing local tuberculosis transmission patterns and identifying areas of concentration. The abstract presents these tools as promising for research and interpretation, while noting that additional methodological development is needed.
Important limitations
The abstract states that incomplete sampling and the lack of movement data limit current analyses, and it calls for improved study designs and new analytical methods. It also implies that the evidence base remains methodologically diverse across a long publication period.
GIDS interpretation
This article is discoverable as a recent literature synthesis on tuberculosis transmission that integrates genomic and spatial approaches. It provides context for the topic and should not be read as a live surveillance signal or as confirming any current outbreak pattern.
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 7 auditable classifier relationships to diseases, places, topics, and study design.