High resolution genotyping of Bacillus anthracis outbreak strains using four highly mutable single nucleotide repeat
L J Kenefic1, J Beaudry, C Trim
1Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5640, USA.
Letters in Applied Microbiology
|March 28, 2008
Summary
Rapidly evolving single nucleotide repeat (SNR) markers revealed genetic diversity within a Bacillus anthracis outbreak, enabling detailed tracking of disease transmission and close genetic discrimination.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Bacillus anthracis is typically genetically monomorphic, presenting challenges in outbreak analysis.
- Understanding genetic diversity is crucial for tracking disease transmission during outbreaks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the genetic diversity of Bacillus anthracis during an outbreak using rapidly evolving genetic markers.
- To assess the utility of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and multi-locus VNTR analysis (MLVA) for outbreak strain determination.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 47 Bacillus anthracis isolates from a 2005 South Dakota outbreak.
- Utilized single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and multi-locus VNTR analysis (MLVA).
- Employed four single nucleotide repeat (SNR) markers for high-resolution genotyping.
Main Results:
- All outbreak strains belonged to a single clonal lineage.
- Analysis of SNR markers resolved isolates into six distinct genotypes.
- Demonstrated the ability of SNR markers to discriminate closely related B. anthracis isolates.
Conclusions:
- SNP and MLVA are effective for initial B. anthracis strain determination.
- Higher mutation rate markers, like SNR, are necessary for detailed outbreak genetic diversity analysis.
- SNR markers are valuable tools for epidemiological tracking and forensic investigations of B. anthracis outbreaks.
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