Evaluation of strategies for molecular fingerprinting for use in the routine work of a Mycobacterium reference unit.

We have investigated the role of two rapid PCR-based typing methods, IS6110-based PCR and spacer-oligonucleotide typing, within a national tuberculosis reference service. The validity of clusters with IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprints with less than 6 bands was also investigated in the context of referred isolates.