This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Scott, A. N. Articles by Behr, M. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Scott, A. N. Articles by Behr, M. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 2005, p. 89-94, Vol. 43, No. 1
0095-1137/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JCM.43.1.89-94.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Sensitivities and Specificities of Spoligotyping and Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit-Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Typing Methods for Studying Molecular Epidemiology of Tuberculosis

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics,¹ Respiratory Epidemiology Unit, McGill University,² Direction de la Santé Publique, Montréal-Centre,³ Laboratoire de Santé Publique du Québec,⁴ Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada⁵

Received 11 June 2004/ Returned for modification 13 August 2004/ Accepted 15 September 2004

The development of PCR-based genotyping modalities (spoligotyping and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable-number tandem repeat [MIRU-VNTR] typing) offers promise for real-time molecular epidemiological studies of tuberculosis (TB). However, the utility of these methods depends on their capacity to appropriately classify isolates. To determine the operating parameters of spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR typing, we have compared results generated by these newer tests to the standard typing method, IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism, in analyses restricted to high-copy-number IS6110 isolates. Sensitivities of the newer tests were estimated as the percentages of isolates with identical IS6110 fingerprints that had identical spoligotypes and MIRU-VNTR types. The specificities of these tests were estimated as the percentages of isolates with unique IS6110 fingerprints that had unique spoligotypes and MIRU-VNTR types. The sensitivity of MIRU-VNTR typing was 52% (95% confidence interval [CI], 31 to 72%), and the sensitivity of spoligotyping was 83% (95% CI, 63 to 95%). The specificity of MIRU-VNTR typing was 56% (95% CI, 51 to 62%), and the specificity of spoligotyping was 40% (95% CI, 35 to 46%). The proportion of isolates estimated to be due to recent transmission was 4% by identical IS6110 patterns, 19% by near-identical IS6110 patterns, 33% by MIRU-VNTR typing, and 53% by spoligotyping. The low calculated specificities of spoligotyping and MIRU-VNTR typing led to misclassification of cases, inflated estimates of TB transmission, and low positive predictive values, suggesting that these techniques have unsuitable operating parameters for population-based molecular epidemiology studies.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Namouchi, A., Karboul, A., Mhenni, B., Khabouchi, N., Haltiti, R., Ben Hassine, R., Louzir, B., Chabbou, A., Mardassi, H. (2008). Genetic profiling of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Tunisia: predominance and evidence for the establishment of a few genotypes. J Med Microbiol 57: 864-872 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Schwartzman, K. (2007). "Them" and "Us": The Two Worlds of Tuberculosis?. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 176: 840-842 [Full Text]  
• Oelemann, M. C., Diel, R., Vatin, V., Haas, W., Rusch-Gerdes, S., Locht, C., Niemann, S., Supply, P. (2007). Assessment of an Optimized Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive- Unit-Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Typing System Combined with Spoligotyping for Population-Based Molecular Epidemiology Studies of Tuberculosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 45: 691-697 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Supply, P., Allix, C., Lesjean, S., Cardoso-Oelemann, M., Rusch-Gerdes, S., Willery, E., Savine, E., de Haas, P., van Deutekom, H., Roring, S., Bifani, P., Kurepina, N., Kreiswirth, B., Sola, C., Rastogi, N., Vatin, V., Gutierrez, M. C., Fauville, M., Niemann, S., Skuce, R., Kremer, K., Locht, C., van Soolingen, D. (2006). Proposal for Standardization of Optimized Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit-Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Typing of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 4498-4510 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Koksalan, O. K., Scott, A. N., Joseph, L., Behr, M. A. (2005). Low Positive Predictive Values and Specificities of Spoligotyping and Mycobacterial Interspersed Repetitive Unit-Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Typing Methods for Performing Population-Based Molecular Epidemiology Studies of Tuberculosis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 3031-3032 [Full Text]