title: The discovery, function and development of the variable number tandem repeats in different Mycobacterium species.
abstract: The method of genotyping by variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs) facilitates the epidemiological studies of different Mycobacterium species worldwide. Until now, the VNTR method is not fully understood, for example, its discovery, function and classification. The inconsistent nomenclature and terminology of VNTR is especially confusing. In this review, we first describe in detail the VNTRs in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis), as this pathogen resulted in more deaths than any other microbial pathogen as well as for which extensive studies of VNTRs were carried out, and then we outline the recent progress of the VNTR-related epidemiological research in several other Mycobacterium species, such as M. abscessus, M. africanum, M. avium, M. bovis, M. canettii, M. caprae, M. intracellulare, M. leprae, M. marinum, M. microti, M. pinnipedii and M. ulcerans from different countries and regions. This article is aimed mainly at the practical notes of VNTR to help the scientists in better understanding and performing this method.
authors.affiliation: a Beijing Tuberculosis & Thoracic Tumor Research Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory for Drug Resistance Tuberculosis Research , Beijing , China and.
authors.forename: Zhaogang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: b Beijing Chest Hospital, National Tuberculosis Clinical Laboratory, Capital Medical University , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Weimin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: b Beijing Chest Hospital, National Tuberculosis Clinical Laboratory, Capital Medical University , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Shaofa
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: b Beijing Chest Hospital, National Tuberculosis Clinical Laboratory, Capital Medical University , Beijing , China.
authors.forename: Hairong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000382:microbiology*
keywords: Epidemiology; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; genotyping; variable number tandem repeats