title: Polymorphism in the rpoT gene in Mycobacterium leprae isolates obtained from Latin American countries and its possible correlation with the spread of leprosy.
abstract: The genotypes of Mycobacterium leprae isolates originating from Mexico, Peru and Paraguay were analysed for the polymorphism of short tandem repeats in the rpoT gene. The genotype with four copies of the six-base tandem repeats in the rpoT gene was prominently predominant in Mexico, but the genotype of all isolates from Peru and Paraguay contained three copies of the six-base tandem repeats. These obvious different distributions might reflect the spread of leprosy by the different strains of M. leprae harboured by the various human races that moved to the American continent, as has been demonstrated in other infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Leprosy Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-2-1, Aobacho, Higashimurayama-shi, 189-0002 Tokyo, Japan. matsuoka@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.forename: Liangfen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mary Fafutis
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Legua
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wiens
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010239:Paraguay / Q000453:epidemiology; D010568:Peru / Q000453:epidemiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012808:Sigma Factor / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D012808:Sigma Factor; C414706:rpoT protein, Mycobacterium leprae