[Genotyping of Mycobacterium leprae in Guangdong province].

Objective: To understand the genotypes of Mycobacterium leprae collected from Guangdong province, China and to analyze the routes of leprosy transmission both inside and outside of Guangdong. The impact of emigrant leprosy patients to the endemic nature of the disease in Guangdong was also studied.

Methods: Typing on strains with variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) were performed on the local cases and emigrant cases based on skin biopsy.

[Study on the factors influencing steady transmission of leprosy in Qiubei county, China].

Objective: To explore the factors influencing the steady transmission of leprosy as indicated by new case detection rate in Qiubei county, Yunnan province, China despite the implementation of MDT for the last 25 years.

Methods: Information related to case-finding was collected. ELISA and PCR were applied to detect anti-PGL-1 antibody in sera and Mycobacterium leprae in nasal secretions respectively, in leprosy patients, their household contacts and the general population.

[Study on genotyping of Mycobacterium leprae and families with multi-cases].

Objective: Multiple locus variable number-tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) had been proposed as a means of strain typing for tracking of source and studying the transmission chain of pathogens. However, empirical data for a defined population from scale and duration were lacking for studying the transmission chain of leprosy.

Methods: MLVA on 7 VNTR loci was applied to the strain typing on prevalent Mycobacterium leprae isolates collected from Qiubei county, Yunnan province during 2002-2006 in the study on the relationship between geographic distribution and genotypes of M.

[Preliminary study on the genotyping of Mycobacterium leprae on 50 isolates from China].

Objective: To understand the genotypic mapping of Mycobacterium leprae identified in China and to compare with those from other countries to select suitable alleles for epidemiological investigation in the transmission chain of leprosy.

Methods: Various number of tandem repeat(VNTR) in genomic DNA of Mycobacterium leprae was used in the present genotyping study. 33 skin biopsies from Wenshan prefecture,Yunnan province and 17 from other parts of China were studied.