MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM

描述（改编自摘要）：在美国，感染 鸟分枝杆菌感染是最常见的细菌性疾病 获得性免疫缺陷综合征（AIDS）患者中的比例。 尽管 与M.禽流感，我们 对这种病原体的流行病学缺乏详细的了解。 为 例如，我们还不知道是否存在M的动物储存库。鸟 克隆导致艾滋病患者患病;我们有很多要了解的 在感染过程中细菌的传播。 在这 申请，主要研究者提出的研究将（a） 提供了一个全面的了解M的分子流行病学。 人类（主要是艾滋病患者）和动物的禽流感感染，以及 (b)能够为菌株开发强大的新遗传标记， 识别. 初步研究使调查人员制定了 三个假设：（i）大多数M。患者的禽流感感染 艾滋病是由一小部分现存的M.禽克隆;（ii） M.也可以从 艾滋病患者;以及（iii）基于自动化聚合酶链反应（PCR）的DNA 指纹识别策略可以用于快速和明确地识别指纹。 鉴定M. avium克隆。 为了验证这些假设， 研究者及其同事将使用多位点酶 电泳--细菌群体遗传学的首选方法 研究--确定样本中代谢酶位点的等位基因变异 超过1,000米。从人类中回收的禽流感分离株（主要来自 艾滋病患者）和来自家养和野生动物。 所有分离株在 收藏品还将通过IS 1245指纹技术进行鉴定， 这将提供一个精细结构的流行病学分析M。Avium从 人类和动物。 最后，由于现有的M.鸟 菌株鉴定和指纹分析通常是劳动密集型的， 耗时，研究人员将评估使用 基于半自动PCR的方法（即，荧光团增强的 重复元件PCR）。鸟种鉴定

DESCRIPTION (adapted from the Abstract): In the United States, infection with Mycobacterium avium is the most common disease of bacterial origin among patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Despite the great morbidity and mortality associated with M. avium infections, we lack a detailed understanding of the epidemiology of this pathogen. For instance, we do not yet know whether an animal reservoir exists of M. avium clones that cause disease in AIDS patients; we have much to learn about the transmission of the bacterium during the course of infection. In this application, the Principal Investigator proposes studies that will (a) provide a comprehensive understanding of the molecular epidemiology of M. avium infections in humans (primarily, in AIDS patients) and animals, and (b) enable the development of powerful new genetic markers for strain identification. Preliminary studies have led the Investigator to formulate three hypotheses: (i) the majority of M. avium infections in patients with AIDS are caused by only a small subset of extant M. avium clones; (ii) an animal reservoir exists of M. avium clones that may also be recovered from AIDS patients; and (iii) automated polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based DNA fingerprinting strategies may be used for the rapid and unambiguous identification of M. avium clones. To test these hypotheses, the Investigator and his associates will use multilocus enzyme electrophoresis--the method of choice for bacterial population genetic studies--to determine allelic variation at metabolic enzyme loci in a sample of more that 1,000 M. avium isolates recovered from humans (primarily, from AIDS patients) and from domesticated and wild animals. All isolates in the collection will also be characterized by IS1245 fingerprinting, a technique that will provide a fine-structure epidemiologic analysis of M. avium from humans and animals. Finally, because present methodology for M. avium strain identification and fingerprinting are generally labor intensive and time consuming, the researchers will evaluate the feasibility of used a semi-automated PCR-based method (i.e., flourophore-enhanced repetitive-element PCR) for M. avium strain identification.