title: IS1245 restriction fragment length polymorphism typing of Mycobacterium avium isolates: proposal for standardization.
abstract: Mycobacterium avium has become a major human pathogen, primarily due to the emergence of the AIDS epidemic. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing, using insertion sequence IS1245 as a probe, provides a powerful tool in the molecular epidemiology of M. avium-related infections and will facilitate well-founded studies into the sources of M. avium infections in animal and environmental reservoirs. The standardization of this technique allows computerization of IS1245 RFLP patterns for comparison on a local level and the establishment of M. avium DNA fingerprint databases for interlaboratory comparison. Moreover, by combining international DNA typing results of M. avium complex isolates from a broad spectrum of sources, long-lasting questions on the epidemiology of this major agent of mycobacterial infections will be answered.
authors.affiliation: Diagnostic Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Perinatal Screening, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, 3720 BA Bilthoven, The Netherlands. D.van.Soolingen@rivm.nl
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Soolingen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ritacco
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Leão
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pavlik
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vincent
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rastogi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gori
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bodmer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Garzelli
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004197:Disease Reservoirs; D006801:Humans; D009162:Mycobacterium avium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012703:Serotyping / Q000379:methods; D012984:Software; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements