Biochemical heterogeneity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates in Guinea-Bissau

Abstract

Fifty-six strains of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from patients in Guinea-Bissau were examined by using four biochemical tests (niacin production, nitrate reductase, pyrazinamidase, and resistance to thiophen-2- carboxylic acid hydrazide). The isolates were divided into five different biovars within a spectrum ranging from classical human M. tuberculosis to classical M. bovis.