title: Web tools for molecular epidemiology of tuberculosis.
abstract: In this study we explore publicly available web tools designed to use molecular epidemiological data to extract information that can be employed for the effective tracking and control of tuberculosis (TB). The application of molecular methods for the epidemiology of TB complement traditional approaches used in public health. DNA fingerprinting methods are now routinely employed in TB surveillance programs and are primarily used to detect recent transmissions and in outbreak investigations. Here we present web tools that facilitate systematic analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) genotype information and provide a view of the genetic diversity in the MTBC population. These tools help answer questions about the characteristics of MTBC strains, such as their pathogenicity, virulence, immunogenicity, transmissibility, drug-resistance profiles and host-pathogen associativity. They provide an integrated platform for researchers to use molecular epidemiological data to address current challenges in the understanding of TB dynamics and the characteristics of MTBC.
authors: Department of Mathematical Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY 12180, USA. shabba@cs.rpi.edu
authors: Amina
authors: A
authors: Shabbeer
authors: Cagri
authors: C
authors: Ozcaglar
authors: Bülent
authors: B
authors: Yener
authors: Kristin P
authors: KP
authors: Bennett
mesh_terms: D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D030561:Databases, Nucleic Acid; D005838:Genotype; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008331:Management Information Systems; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D009154:Mutation; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012984:Software; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000635:transmission
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial