Guide to the Application of Genotyping to Tuberculosis Prevention and Control

This guide provides an introduction to the application of tuberculosis (TB) genotyping to TB control practices and to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) TB Genotyping Program. It was written by the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association (NTCA)/CDC Advisory Group on Tuberculosis Genotyping and is intended for TB controllers, epidemiologists, laboratorians, and other program staff members who will be involved in submitting isolates for genotyping, analyzing and responding to genotyping results, or using genotyping data to monitor TB transmission trends.

This guide does not contain specific directions on how a TB control program must carry out its genotyping program. The CDC genotyping program is not a research effort, and participating state and local programs are not required to carry out a protocol, submit a certain number of isolates, or collect specific data. Rather, this guide provides general guidance about how to utilize the genotyping laboratories, how to understand genotyping results, and how to apply those results to improve TB control practices.