Assessment of genetic stability of Brucella melitensis Rev 1 vaccine strain by multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 25; no. 15; pp. 2858 - 2862
• Main Authors: García-Yoldi, David, Le Fleche, Philippe, Marín, Clara M, De Miguel, María J, Muñoz, Pilar M, Vergnaud, Gilles, López-Goñi, Ignacio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 12-04-2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Allergy and Immunology; Animals; Applied microbiology; Bacterial Vaccines; Bacterial Vaccines - genetics; Bacteriology; Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; Biological and medical sciences; Brucella; Brucella - genetics; Brucella - immunology; Brucella melitensis; Brucella melitensis Rev 1; Brucellosis; Brucellosis - virology; Cellular Biology; Cluster Analysis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genetic stability; Genomic Instability; Genotype; Humans; Life Sciences; Microbiology; Minisatellite Repeats; Miscellaneous; MLVA; Ruminantia; Ruminants; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies (general aspects); VNTR; Genetic stability; Brucella melitensis Rev 1; MLVA; VNTR; Brucellaceae; Minisatellite DNA; Vaccine strain; Bacteria; Genetics; Brucella melitensis
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518; 0264-410X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2006.09.063

Abstract The assessment of the genetic stability is one of the essential elements to guarantee the biological quality of live anti-bacteria vaccines. Live attenuated Brucella melitensis Rev 1 is the most effective vaccine against brucellosis in small ruminants. Thirty-six B. melitensis Rev 1 vaccine strains isolated from human or animal sources from different geographic regions, from different commercial batches or laboratory collections were typed by the multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) recently described for Brucella spp. Our results demonstrated that B. melitensis Rev 1 group as assayed by MLVA is genetically very homogeneous. We believe that MLVA methodology could be an essential assay to guarantee the quality and stability of live anti-bacterial vaccines being produced worldwide and can be included as in vitro control.