COMPARISON OF RANDOM AMPLIFIED POLYMORPHIC DNA WITH RESTRICTION-FRAGMENT-LENGTH-POLYMORPHISM AS EPIDEMIOLOGIC TYPING METHODS FOR MYCOBACTERIUM-TUBERCULOSIS

Aim-To compare restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and ran dom amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) methods for the epidemiological t yping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Methods-Thirty one M tuberculosis cultures originating from patients in the Canton of Berne in Switzerl and, which had previously been typed by RFLP, were subjected to RAPD a nalysis. Cultures were coded so that the investigators were blind to t he RFLP results until RAPD analysis was complete. Results-The 31 cultu res of M tuberculosis were divided into nine groups by RFLP and eight groups by RAPD. Generally there was good correlation between the group s identified by the two techniques, with the exception of strains that had only one copy of IS6110. Both methods subdivided isolates that we re placed in a single group by the other method. Conclusions-RAPD anal ysis is quick, simple, and useful for the comparison of small numbers of isolates. RFLP is more reproducible and therefore better suited for the accumulation of RFLP fingerprints for long term local surveillanc e and large epidemiological studies.