Fermín AcostaAnders NormanDilcia SambranoVictoria BatistaIgor MokrousovEgor ShitikovJulio JuradoMaritza MayrenaOdemaris LuqueMaybis Garay2026-03-222026-03-22202010.22541/au.159863230.01791414https://doi.org/10.22541/au.159863230.01791414https://andeanlibrary.org/handle/123456789/83965Beijing genotype Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains associate with increased virulence, resistance, and/or higher transmission rates. This study describes a specific Beijing strain predominantly identified in the Panamanian province of Colon with one of the highest incidence of tuberculosis in the country. Retrospective Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive-Unit/Variable-Number of Tandem Repeats analysis of 42 isolates collected between January-August 2018, allowed to identify a cluster (Beijing A) with 17 (40.5%) Beijing isolates. Subsequent prospective strain-specific PCR based surveillance from September 2019 to March 2020, confirmed the predominance of the Beijing A strain (44.1%) in this province. Whole genome sequencing revealed higher-than-expected diversity within the cluster, suggesting long-term prevalence of this strain and low number of cases caused by recent transmission. The Beijing A strain belongs to the Asian African 3 (Bmyc13, L2.2.5) branch of the modern Beijing sublineage, with their closest isolates corresponding to cases from Vietnam, probably introduced in Panama between 2000 and 2012.enBeijingGenotypeMycobacterium tuberculosisTransmission (telecommunications)Strain (injury)TuberculosisVeterinary medicineVirologyVirulenceBiologypreprint