title: Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis analysis of rapidly-growing mycobacteria: an alternative tool for identification and typing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) have emerged as important pathogens in clinical settings, associated with esthetic procedures and postsurgical infections, pulmonary infections among cystic fibrosis patients, and other structural pulmonary diseases. Microorganisms belonging to Mycobacterium abscessus-Mycobacterium chelonae and to Mycobacterium fortuitum groups have frequently been associated with outbreaks and various epidemics. In the present study, RGM strains were characterized in order to investigate molecular markers based on proteomic analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) was used for species identification and clonal analysis of RGM recovered from postsurgical wound infections during an epidemic. The study included 30M. abscessus subsp. bolletii clinical isolates, most belonging to the BRA100 clone (epidemic in Rio de Janeiro city), as well as 16 RGM ATCC reference strains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Molecular typing allowed the detection of diversity in the studied population and revealed species-specific isoenzymatic patterns. Additionally, the clonal relationship among M. abscessus subsp. bolletii outbreak isolates, as examined using MLEE, was markedly consistent.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Isoenzymatic characterization was found to be a useful molecular tool to identify RGM species and to determine the relatedness among closely related M. abscessus subsp. bolletii isolates. This may be considered a powerful approach for epidemiological studies on RGM.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: Juliana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Caierão
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco I, Cidade Universitária - Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Augusto Cardoso Dias
authors.initials: JACD
authors.lastname: Paiva
authors.affiliation: Instituto Fleury de Ensino e Pesquisa, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jorge Luiz Mello
authors.initials: JLM
authors.lastname: Sampaio
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco I, Cidade Universitária - Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marlei Gomes da
authors.initials: MGD
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca/FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Débora Ribeiro de Souza
authors.initials: DRS
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Hospital Pedro Ernesto, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fabrice Santana
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Coelho
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco I, Cidade Universitária - Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leila de Souza
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Bloco I, Cidade Universitária - Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-902, Brazil. Electronic address: rsduarte@ufrj.br.
authors.forename: Rafael Silva
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Derek T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca/FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana Hamond
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Regua-Mangia
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D004586:Electrophoresis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000032:analysis; D058889:Molecular Typing; D016926:Mycobacterium chelonae / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology; D019907:Mycobacterium fortuitum / Q000145:classification* / Q000201:enzymology; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D007527:Isoenzymes
keywords: Diversity; Identification; MLEE; Rapidly growing mycobacteria; Typing