Genetic characterization of the Guinea-Bissau family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains.
In a previous study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex isolates from Guinea-Bissau in West Africa, we identified a unique group of strains, designated here as the Guinea-Bissau family of strains, which, although genotypically closely related, phenotypically demonstrated a considerable heterogeneity. We conducted here a detailed genotypic analysis of a subset (n = 35) of these isolates. Based on the data obtained, and by comparison of known corresponding genes in mycobacteria outside the M. tuberculosis complex, we propose that the Guinea-Bissau strains belong to a unique branch of the M. tuberculosis complex tree in between classical M. tuberculosis and classical M. bovis. These observations are discussed in their significance in M. tuberculosis complex classification.
Koivula
Tuija
T
Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, 17182 Solna, Sweden.
Ekman
Martin
M
Leitner
Thomas
T
Löfdahl
Sven
S
Ghebremicahel
Solomon
S
Mostowy
Serge
S
Behr
Marcel A
MA
Svenson
Stefan B
SB
Källenius
Gunilla
G
D000581:Amidohydrolases / Q000235:genetics; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002374:Catalase; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D027081:DNA Gyrase / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D005838:Genotype; D006169:Guinea-Bissau; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics; D010802:Phylogeny; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D002374:Catalase; C480353:katG protein, Mycobacterium tuberculosis; D000581:Amidohydrolases; C022490:pyrazinamide deamidase; D027081:DNA Gyrase