Combination of single nucleotide polymorphism and variable-number tandem repeats for genotyping a homogenous population of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Beijing strains in China.

ABSTRACT: The standard 15- and 24-locus variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) genotyping methods have demonstrated adequate discriminatory power and a small homoplasy effect for tracing tuberculosis (TB) transmission and predicting Mycobacterium tuberculosis lineages in European and North American countries. However, its validity for the definition of transmission in homogenous M. tuberculosis populations in settings with high TB burdens has been questioned. Here, we genotyped a population-based collection of 191 Beijing strains based on standard 15-locus VNTR (VNTR-15) and 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in Shanghai, China. Limited discriminatory power and high rates of VNTR homoplasy were observed in the homogenous population of evolutionarily "modern" Beijing strains. Additional typing of

SUBMITTER: Luo T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3295100 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature