Basic Info

Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) of Bordetella pertussis strains

More Details

MLVA (Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Analysis) is a high-resolution typing method that enables high-throughput characterization of Bordetella pertussis isolates by analyzing variations in direct repeat regions within the bacterial genome. This culture-independent technique allows direct application to clinical specimens such as nasopharyngeal swabs, significantly enhancing epidemiological surveillance efficiency.

What's New

The whole genome sequence Multiple Locus Variable Number Tandem Repeat Program (wgsMLVA) aims to recreate PCR-based MLVA typing using closed Bordetella pertussis genomes. The program identifies six primer sites, labeled Variable Number Tandem Repeat (VNTR) sites, that each hold a set number of repeats. Each VNTR site has a unique, repeated DNA element that is counted by the program. This is done with all six VNTR sites, creating a list, similar to a barcode. wgsMLVA compares the specific list of VNTR counts to a database of possible MLVA types and prints out the corrisponding MLVA type. The length of the fragment's flanking regions are also taken into account, to insure known consistanty across the VNTR's of each MLVA type.

Additional Information

Related links:

https://github.com/danek90/wgsMLVA

Literature

Schouls LM, van der Heide HG, Vauterin L, Vauterin P, Mooi FR. Multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis of Dutch Bordetella pertussis strains reveals rapid genetic changes with clonal expansion during the late 1990s. J Bacteriol. 2004;186(16):5496-5505. doi:10.1128/JB.186.16.5496-5505.2004