title: Mycobacterium leprae typing by genomic diversity and global distribution of genotypes.
abstract: The genetic diversity and related global distribution of 51 Mycobacterium leprae isolates were studied. Isolates were obtained from leprosy patients from 12 geographically distinct regions of the world and two were obtained from nonhuman sources. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by DNA sequencing was performed targeting the rpoT gene of M. leprae. Isolates were classified into two groups based on the number of tandem repeats composed of 6 base pairs in the rpoT gene. Isolates from Japan (except Okinawa) and Korea belonged to one group, while those from Southeast Asian countries, Brazil, Haiti and Okinawa in Japan belonged to a second genotype. M. leprae obtained from two nonhuman sources (an armadillo and a mangabey monkey) revealed the latter genotype. These results demonstrate the genetic diversity of M. leprae and the related genotype-specific distribution in the world.
authors.affiliation: Leprosy Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kai
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Chae
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Gillis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Izumi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kashiwabara
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D014644:Genetic Variation; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D005843:Geography; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000382:microbiology*; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012808:Sigma Factor; C414706:rpoT protein, Mycobacterium leprae