title: Use of multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis for typing Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis.
abstract: The etiology of Crohn's disease in humans is largely unknown. Clinical signs of Crohn's disease partly resemble the clinical picture of Johne's disease in ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Because of the high prevalence of these bacteria in (products of) ruminants and their remarkable thermostability, concern has been raised about the possible role of these bacteria in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease. In an attempt to develop a molecular typing method to facilitate meaningful comparative DNA fingerprinting of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates from the human and animal reservoirs, multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) was explored and compared to IS900 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing. MLVA typing subdivided the most predominant RFLP type, R01, into six subtypes and thus provides a promising molecular subtyping approach to study the diversity of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis.
authors.affiliation: Mycobacteria Reference Laboratory, National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Pieter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Overduin
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schouls
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Roholl
authors.forename: Adri
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van der Zanden
authors.forename: Nofel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mahmmod
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Herrewegh
authors.forename: Dick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van Soolingen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002417:Cattle; D002418:Cattle Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D006801:Humans; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016927:Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D010283:Paratuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D017354:Point Mutation; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements