02370nas a2200349   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001200055653001500067653003200082653001100114653001200125653002600137653002500163653003000188653002600218653004600244653002700290100001700317700001400334700001000348700001000358700001000368700001500378700001200393245008700405856006900492300001200561490000700573520142600580022001402006       2004                            d  c2004 Apr10aAnimals10aArmadillos10aBacterial Typing Techniques10aHumans10aleprosy10aMinisatellite Repeats10aMycobacterium leprae10apolymerase chain reaction10aPolymorphism, Genetic10aPolymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length10aSequence Analysis, DNA1 aGroathouse N1 aRivoire B1 aKim H1 aLee H1 aCho S1 aBrennan PJ1 aVissa V00aMultiple polymorphic loci for molecular typing of strains of Mycobacterium leprae.  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC387587/pdf/1596.pdf  a1666-720 v423 a<p>The need for molecular tools for the differentiation of isolates of Mycobacterium leprae, the organism that causes leprosy, is urgent in view of the continuing high levels of new case detection, despite years of aggressive chemotherapy and the consequent reduction in the prevalence of leprosy. The slow onset of leprosy and the reliance on physical examination for detection of disease have restricted the epidemiological tracking necessary to understand and control transmission. Two genetic loci in several isolates of M. leprae have previously been demonstrated to contain variable-number tandem repeats (VNTRs). On the basis of these reports and the availability of the full genome sequence, multiple-locus VNTR analysis for strain typing has been undertaken. A panel of 11 short tandem repeat (STR) loci with repeat units of 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, 18, 21, and 27 bp from four clinical isolates of M. leprae propagated in armadillo hosts were screened by PCR. Fragment length polymorphisms were detected at 9 of the 11 loci by agarose gel electrophoresis. Sequencing of representative DNA products confirmed the presence of VNTRs between isolates. The application of nine new polymorphic STRs in conjunction with automated methods for electrophoresis and size determination allows greater discrimination between isolates of M. leprae and enhances the potential of this technique to track the transmission of leprosy.</p>  a0095-1137