J D van Embden1, M. Donald Cave1, Jack T. Crawford1, Jeremy W. Dale1, Kathleen D. Eisenach1, Brigitte Gicquel1, Peter W. M. Hermans1, Carlos Martı́n1, Ruth A. McAdam1, Thomas M. Shinnick1
1Unit Molecular Microbiology, National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
Tóm tắt
DNA fingerprinting of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been shown to be a powerful epidemiologic tool. We propose a standardized technique which exploits variability in both the number and genomic position of IS6110 to generate strain-specific patterns. General use of this technique will permit comparison of results between different laboratories. Such comparisons will facilitate investigations into the international transmission of tuberculosis and may identify specific strains with unique properties such as high infectivity, virulence, or drug resistance.
