title: Genetic characterization of the Guinea-Bissau family of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, 17182 Solna, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tuija
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Koivula
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ekman
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Leitner
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Löfdahl
authors.forename: Solomon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghebremicahel
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mostowy
authors.forename: Marcel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Behr
authors.forename: Stefan B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Svenson
authors.forename: Gunilla
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Källenius
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: 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