IS1245 restriction fragment length polymorphism typing of Mycobacterium avium isolates: Proposal for standardization

Mycobacterium avium has become a major human pathogen, primarily due to the emergence of the;AIDS epidemic. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) typing, using insertion sequence IS1245 as a probe, provides a powerful tool in the molecular epidemiology of M. avium-related infections and will facilitate well-founded studies into the sources of M. avium infections in animal and environmental reservoirs. The standardization of this technique allows computerization of IS1245 RFLP patterns for comparison on a local level and the establishment of M. avium DNA fingerprint databases for interlaboratory comparison. Moreover, by combining international DNA typing results of M. avium complex isolates from a broad spectrum of sources, long-lasting questions on the epidemiology of this major agent of mycobacterial infections will be answered.Natl Inst Publ Hlth & Environm, Mycobacteria Dept, RIVM, Diagnost Lab Infect Dis & Perinatal Screening, NL-3720 BA Bilthoven, NetherlandsStatens Serum Inst, Dept Mycobacteriol, Div Diagnost, DK-2300 Copenhagen S, DenmarkPan Amer Inst Food Protect & Zoonoses, RA-1640 Martinez, ArgentinaUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, BR-8623 Sao Paulo, BrazilVet Res Inst, CS-62132 Brno, Czech RepublicInst Pasteur, Reference Mycobacteries Lab, F-75724 Paris 15, FranceInst Pasteur, Unite Tuberculose & Mycobacteries, F-97165 Pointe a Pitre, FranceUniv Milan, Luigi Sacco Hosp, Clin Infect Dis, I-20157 Milan, ItalyUniv Pisa, Dept Biomed, I-56127 Pisa, ItalyUniv Bern, Inst Med Microbiol, CH-3012 Bern, SwitzerlandUniv Autonoma Madrid, Fac Med, Dept Prevent Med, E-28029 Madrid, SpainUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, BR-8623 Sao Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc