title: AmpliBASE MT: a Mycobacterium tuberculosis diversity knowledgebase.
abstract: AmpliBASE MT is an online databank of high-resolution DNA fingerprints representing fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism (FAFLP) profiles or amplitypes developed for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains from 48 different countries. AmpliBASE MT is based on a relational database management system that is hyperlinked to visualize genotyping results in the form of DNA fingerprint images for individual strains. A flexible search system based on systematic comparisons of fragment sizes in base pairs allows inter-laboratory comparison of FAFLP profiles. Besides this, the database also displays previously published data on IS6110 profiles, spoligotypes, MIRU-VNTRs and large sequence polymorphisms along with the FAFLP records that will give the overall comparisons. Being the first of its kind, AmpliBASE MT is expected to be a very helpful tool in strengthening the concept of 'geographic genomics' and will be very helpful to molecular epidemiologists and those interested in diagnostic development for tuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Nacharam, Hyderabad 500076, India.
authors.forename: Ahmed A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Majeed
authors.forename: Niyaz
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: K Rajender
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghousunnissa
authors.forename: Farhana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kauser
authors.forename: Buddhaditta
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bose
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Nagarajaram
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Katoch
authors.forename: Debby V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Cousins
authors.forename: Leonardo A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Sechi
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Gilman
authors.forename: Seyed E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hasnain
mesh_terms: D016172:DNA Fingerprinting / Q000379:methods*; D003628:Database Management Systems; D030561:Databases, Nucleic Acid; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D014644:Genetic Variation / Q000235:genetics; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D020407:Internet; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D012984:Software; D014584:User-Computer Interface