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Volume 19, Number 12—December 2013
Dispatch

Novel Cause of Tuberculosis in Meerkats, South Africa

Sven D.C. ParsonsComments to Author , Julian A. Drewe, Nicolaas C. Gey van Pittius, Robin M. Warren, and Paul D. van Helden
Author affiliations: Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, South Africa (S.D.C. Parsons, N.C. Gey van Pittius, R.M. Warren, P.D. van Helden); Royal Veterinary College, London, UK (J.A. Drewe); South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa (R.M. Warren, P.D. van Helden)

Main Article

Table 2

MIRU-VNTR patterns of Mycobacterium suricattae and representative isolates of selected members of the M. tuberculosis complex*

Locus MIRU-VNTR copy number
M. africanum† M. mungi† M. suricattae Dassie bacillus†
MIRU 2 2 2 2 2
VNTR 424/Mtub04 4 3 3‡, 2§ 2
VNTR 577/ETR-C 5 3 5 5
MIRU 4/ETR-D 2 3 2 3
MIRU 40 2 1 2 2
MIRU 10 7 5 6 7
MIRU 16 4 3 2 3
VNTR 1955/Mtub21 4 3 3 3
MIRU 20 2 2 2 2
VNTR 2163b/QUB11b 5 – – 7
VNTR 2165/ETR-A 6 6 – 6
VNTR2347/Mtub29 3 3 3 3
VNTR 2401/Mtub30 4 4 4‡, 5§ 3
VNTR 2461/ETR-B 4 4 5 4
MIRU 23 4 4 4 4
MIRU 24 2 2 3 2
MIRU 26 4 4 4 5
MIRU 27 3 3 1 4
VNTR 3171/Mtub 34 3 3 3 3
MIRU 31/ETR-E 5 8 and 9 5 5
VNTR 3690/Mtub 39 4 – 8 5
VNTR 4052/QUB 26 6 – 3 4
VNTR 4156/QUB 4156 3 – 1 3
MIRU 39 2 2 2 2

*MIRU-VNTR, mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit–variable number tandem repeats; –, no amplification.
†From Alexander et al., 2010 (4).
‡Copy number of 3 isolates from 2 meerkats, including MK172.
§Copy number of a fourth isolate from a third meerkat.

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