title: Genotyping of Mycobacterium intracellulare isolates and clinical characteristics of lung disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) loci were recently identified in Japanese isolates of Mycobacterium intracellulare. We hypothesised that some mycobacterial genotypes are more virulent than others, resulting in particular genotypes being associated with disease phenotype and progression.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the VNTR loci of M. intracellulare in clinical isolates from Korean patients, and investigate the association between mycobacterial genotype and disease phenotype and progression.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 70 M. intracellulare clinical isolates were genotyped using 16 M. intracellulare VNTR loci.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VNTR typing showed strong discriminatory power and genetic diversity for molecular epidemiological studies of M. intracellulare. In a phylogenetic tree, the M. intracellulare clinical isolates were divided into two clusters (A and B). Cluster A was observed more frequently (77%) than Cluster B; however, there was no association between the clinical characteristics, disease progression, drug susceptibility and clusters based on VNTR genotyping.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  VNTR typing could be used for epidemiological studies of M. intracellulare lung disease; however, no association was found between the specific VNTR genotypes of M. intracellulare and the clinical characteristics of Korean patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: S-Y
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S-T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: B-H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.forename: J-W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: W-J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Koh
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D021521:Ribotyping; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014397:Tuberculosis, Pulmonary / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial