OBJECTIVETo access the application of spacer oligotyping (Spoligotyping) and Multiple Locus VNTR(MLVA) in epidemiological studies of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

METHODS224 clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis were collected and typed by Spoligotyping and MLVA respectively, to compare the results of both methods and to access their application in epidemiological studies of M. tuberculosis.

RESULTSData from Spoligotyping showed that 224 strains presented 55 kinds of genotypes. Of these, 39 were represented by a unique isolate, with the remaining 185 isolates being grouped in 16 clusters whereas the result of MLVA showed that 224 strains presenting 160 kinds of genotypes. Of these, 132 were represented by a unique isolate, with the remaining 92 isolates being grouped in 28 groups. Data from the combination of Spoligotyping and VNTR showed that 224 strains presenting 179 kinds of genotypes. Of these, 159 were represented by a unique isolate, with the remaining 65 isolates being grouped in 20 groups. There was significant difference noticed among M. tuberculosis between Hunan and Anhui in the proportion of Beijing family (P < 0.001). The proportion of Beijing family in Anhui was higher than that in Hunan.

CONCLUSIONResults from this direct comparison studies demonstrated that MLVA analysis was more effective than Spoligotyping in discriminating individual M. tuberculosis isolates. However, Spoligotyping had an advantage over MLVA in identifying Beijing family strains and M. bovis. Taking Spoligotyping as a first-line typing technique and VNTR as second-line typing technique, the arrangement would improve the effectiveness of epidemiological investigation and pathological inspection of tuberculosis. The strains in different regions seemed to have had different characteristics.

China ; epidemiology ; Genotype ; Humans ; Mycobacterium bovis ; genetics ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Tandem Repeat Sequences ; Tuberculosis ; epidemiology

Forty mycobacterial strains comprising clinical Indian isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (28 field isolates +1H37 Rv) and Mycobacterium bovis (10 field isolates +1 AN5) were subjected to restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (RFLP) using IS6110 and IS1081 probes. Most of these strains originated from dairy cattle herd and human patients from Indian Veterinary research Institute (IVRI) campus isolated from the period of 1986 to 2000. Our study showed presence of 8 copies of IS6110 in most of the M.tuberculosis (96.6%) strains irrespective of their origin with the exception of one M.tuberculosis strain with presence of an extra copy (3.4%). All M.bovis strains showed a single copy of IS6110 on the characteristic 1.9kb restriction fragment. RFLP analysis with IS1081 invariably showed the presence of 5 copies in all isolates of M.bovis and M.tuberculosis at the same chromosomal location. Similarity of IS6110 RFLP fingerprints of M.tuberculosis strains from animals and human suggested the possibility of dissemination of single M.tuberculosis strain among animals as well as human. It was not possible to discriminate within the isolates of either M.tuberculosis or M.bovis, when IS1081 was used as target sequence. The IS6110 RFLP is a valuable tool for disclosing transmission chain of M. tuberculosis and M. bovis among humans as well as animals
Animals ; Bacterial Typing Techniques ; Cattle ; DNA Fingerprinting/*veterinary ; DNA, Bacterial/*genetics ; Deer ; Humans ; India/epidemiology ; Mycobacterium bovis/classification/*genetics/isolation&purification ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/classification/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Zoonoses/epidemiology