Pages 711-712 in N. Murphy and A. Parkinson, eds. Circumpolar Health 2012: Circumpolar Health Comes Full Circle. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, August 5-10, 2012. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2013;72 (Suppl 1):711-712
Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Department of Medical Microbiology, University
of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Department of Health and Social Services, Government of Nunavut, Iqaluit, NU, Canada
Source
Pages 711-712 in N. Murphy and A. Parkinson, eds. Circumpolar Health 2012: Circumpolar Health Comes Full Circle. Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Circumpolar Health, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA, August 5-10, 2012. International Journal of Circumpolar Health 2013;72 (Suppl 1):711-712
Tuberculosis (rB), caused by the organism Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is a global health problem, with more than 8.5 million cases and more than 1.2 million deaths reported in 2010 (1). While worldwide rates of TB remain high, first-world countries, including Canada, have typically experienced much lower rates than those seen in third world
countries. Despite this fact, in 2010, the Canadian territory of Nunavut saw rates of TB more than 65 times the
Canadian national average and double their previous
year's rate, with approximately 304 cases per 100,000 population (2).
Molecular genotyping, such as Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit Variable Number of Tandem Repeat (MIRU-VNTR) genotyping, is an invaluable tool in the public health approach to investigating and
curtailing TB outbreaks (3). In this study, we aimed to get a more accurate picture of the current state of TB in Nunavut by comparing MIRU-VNTR genotyping patterns
with the regions where the patients sought medical
attention.