title: Inter- and intra-strain variability of tandem repeats in Mycoplasma pneumoniae based on next-generation sequencing data.
abstract: To characterize inter- and intra-strain variability of variable-number tandem repeats (VNTRs) in Mycoplasma pneumoniae to determine the optimal multilocus VNTR analysis scheme for improved strain typing.
  
  
  
  Whole genome assemblies and next-generation sequencing data from diverse M. pneumoniae isolates were used to characterize VNTRs and their variability, and to compare the strain discriminability of new VNTR and existing markers.
  
  
  
  We identified 13 VNTRs including five reported previously. These VNTRs displayed different levels of inter- and intra-strain copy number variations. All new markers showed similar or higher discriminability compared with existing VNTR markers and the P1 typing system.
  
  
  
  Our study provides novel insights into VNTR variations and potential new multilocus VNTR analysis schemes for improved genotyping of M. pneumoniae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Biology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.|Critical Care Medicine Department, NIH Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Medicine Department, NIH Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.|Department of Pharmacology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
authors.forename: Xiaohong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Winston Churchill High School, Potomac, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Marella J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kenri
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Hongmei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Travis
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ptacek
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Capital Institute of Pediatrics, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Shaoli
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Ken B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Waites
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: T Prescott
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology II, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Musashimurayama, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Keigo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shibayama
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dybvig
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Yanmei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D056915:DNA Copy Number Variations; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D056426:Genetic Loci; D005819:Genetic Markers; D060005:Genotyping Techniques; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods*; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005819:Genetic Markers
keywords: Mycoplasma pneumoniae; next-generation sequencing; tandem repeats