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Updated: Jun 25, 2026
10:33
Multi-locus Variable-number Tandem-repeat Analysis of the Fish-pathogenic Bacterium Yersinia ruckeri by Multiplex PCR and Capillary Electrophoresis
Published on: June 17, 2019
Identification of melioidosis outbreak by multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis.
Bart J Currie1, Asha Haslem, Talima Pearson
1Menzies School of Health Research, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. bart@menzies.edu.au
Emerging Infectious Diseases
|February 6, 2009
Summary
Rapidly identifying melioidosis outbreaks is crucial. A new method, multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA-4), accurately types Burkholderia pseudomallei strains within 8 hours, significantly faster than existing techniques.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Epidemiology
- Genetics
Background:
- Endemic melioidosis is caused by diverse Burkholderia pseudomallei strains.
- Clonal outbreaks of melioidosis, often from contaminated water, pose a significant public health risk.
- Burkholderia pseudomallei is a bioterrorism agent, demanding rapid outbreak detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a rapid typing method for Burkholderia pseudomallei.
- To compare the efficacy of the new method with established techniques like PFGE and MLST.
- To enable swift identification of clonal melioidosis outbreaks.
Main Methods:
- Development of a simplified 4-locus multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA-4).
- Comparison of MLVA-4 results with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) using well-characterized B. pseudomallei isolates.
- Evaluation of MLVA-4's speed in identifying clonal outbreaks.
Main Results:
- MLVA-4 demonstrated comparable discriminatory power to MLST and PFGE.
- The method successfully differentiated 65 multilocus sequence types.
- MLVA-4 identified related isolates from outbreak clusters and individual patients.
- The technique can determine if a clonal outbreak has occurred within 8 hours of bacterial strain receipt.
Conclusions:
- MLVA-4 is a rapid and effective tool for typing Burkholderia pseudomallei.
- This method significantly accelerates the recognition of point-source melioidosis outbreaks.
- MLVA-4 facilitates timely public health interventions during B. pseudomallei outbreaks.
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