Online tools for polyphasic analysis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex genotyping data: now and next

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Bioinformatics
• Genetics

Background:

• Molecular diagnostics and genotyping are crucial for clinical microbiology and disease surveillance.
• Multilocus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) is the standard for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) genotyping.
• Existing databases have limitations in data storage and analysis functionality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review newly available web-based bioinformatics tools for analyzing MTBC genotyping data.
• To compare the functionalities of SITVIT/SpolDB4 and MIRU-VNTRplus databases.
• To highlight the capabilities of MIRU-VNTRplus for polyphasic analysis and genotype nomenclature.

Main Methods:

• Review of specialized web-based bioinformatics tools for MLVA data analysis.
• Comparison of features offered by SITVIT/SpolDB4 and MIRU-VNTRplus.
• Description of MIRU-VNTRplus functionalities including data visualization, phylogenetic tree creation, and lineage identification.

Main Results:

• MIRU-VNTRplus provides a freely accessible platform for analyzing combined genotyping data (MLVA, spoligotyping, etc.).
• The tool supports polyphasic analysis, phylogenetic tree construction, and semi-automated lineage identification.
• A universal genotype nomenclature service (MLVA MtbC15-9 type) has been implemented for scientific communication.

Conclusions:

• MIRU-VNTRplus represents a significant advancement for analyzing MTBC genotyping data, offering comprehensive analysis and visualization tools.
• The platform facilitates improved tuberculosis surveillance, research, and scientific collaboration.
• Future developments aim to generalize the tools for other bacterial species.