title: Recent advances in the molecular epidemiology of leprosy.
abstract: Recent advances in the molecular epidemiology of leprosy through genotyping of variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are described. VNTRs with a broad range of diversity are useful genotyping tools for analyzing transmission in community areas, and SNPs and VNTRs with a small degree of variation are favorable for investigating the global transmission of leprosy. We expect that the transmission of leprosy can be fully analyzed by the application of these new methodologies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioregulation, Leprosy Research Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 4-2-1, Aobacho, Higashimurayama-Shi, Tokyo 189-0002, Japan. matsuoka@nih.go.jp
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
mesh_terms: D005838:Genotype; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007918:Leprosy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission*; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics