High-resolution genetic fingerprinting of European strains of Anaplasma phagocytophilum by use of multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis.

ABSTRACT: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is a widely distributed tick-borne pathogen of humans, livestock, and companion animals. We used in silico methods to identify 10 variable-number tandem-repeat (VNTR) loci within the genome sequence of the A. phagocytophilum HZ strain and used these data to develop a multilocus VNTR-based typing scheme for the species. Having confirmed the stability of four of the loci in replicates of the A. phagocytophilum strain that had been subjected to different numbers of passages through cell cocultures in vitro, we then used this typing scheme to discriminate between 20 A. phagocytophilum strains of diverse geographical and host provenances. Extensive diversity was found at each of the four loci studied, with total allele numbers ranging from 13 to 18 and Hunter-Gaston di

SUBMITTER: Bown KJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1933113 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature