Comparison of multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis in molecular subtyping of Salmonella enterica serovars Paratyphi A.

Salmonella enterica serotype Paratyphi A is a highly clonal organism; pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) is insufficient in discriminating isolates. A multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) was developed, and its usefulness in discriminating isolates was compared. PFGE analysis with XbaI and BlnI discriminated 55 isolates into 14 types, with a discriminatory index (DI) of 0.741 (confidence interval [CI], 0.635-0.847). MLVA divided the isolates into 23 types, with a DI of 0.937 (CI, 0.909-0.964), which was significantly higher than that for PFGE. Clustering analysis of PFGE and MLVA patterns indicated that S. Paratyphi A isolates recovered from 2000 to 2010 in South and Southeast Asia were highly clonal. Although MLVA is not sufficiently powerful in discriminating epidemiologically unrelated isolates, it can complement PFGE for epidemiologic investigation of S. Paratyphi A infections.
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