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Journal of Bacteriology, September 2004, p. 5808-5818, Vol. 186, No. 17
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.17.5808-5818.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Worldwide Genetic Relationships among Francisella tularensis Isolates Determined by Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeat Analysis

Anders Johansson,1,2,{dagger} Jason Farlow,3,{dagger} Pär Larsson,2 Meghan Dukerich,3 Elias Chambers,3 Mona Byström,2 James Fox,3 May Chu,4 Mats Forsman,2 Anders Sjöstedt,5 and Paul Keim3*

Divisions of Infectious Diseases,1 Clinical Bacteriology, Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University,5 Department of NBC Analysis, Swedish Defence Research Agency, Umeå, Sweden,2 Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona,3 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, Colorado4

Received 29 January 2004/ Accepted 6 June 2004

The intracellular bacterium Francisella tularensis is the causative agent of tularemia and poses a serious threat as an agent of bioterrorism. We have developed a highly effective molecular subtyping system from 25 variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) loci. In our study, multiple-locus VNTR analysis (MLVA) was used to analyze genetic relationships and potential population structure within a global collection of 192 F. tularensis isolates, including representatives from each of the four subspecies. The VNTR loci displayed between 2 and 31 alleles with Nei's diversity values between 0.05 and 0.95. Neighbor-joining cluster analysis of VNTR data revealed 120 genotypes among the 192 F. tularensis isolates, including accurate subspecies identification. F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (type A) isolates showed great diversity at VNTR loci, while F. tularensis subsp. holarctica (type B) isolates showed much lower levels despite a much broader geographical prevalence. The resolution of two distinct clades within F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (designated A.I and A.II) revealed a previously unrecognized genetic division within this highly virulent subspecies. F. tularensis subsp. holarctica appears to have recently spread globally across continents from a single origin, while F. tularensis subsp. tularensis has a long and complex evolutionary history almost exclusively in North America. The sole non-North American type A isolates (Slovakian) were closely related to the SCHU S4 strain. Significant linkage disequilibrium was detected among VNTR loci of F. tularensis consistent with a clonal population structure. Overall, this work greatly augments the study of tularemia ecology and epidemiology, while providing a framework for future forensic analysis of F. tularensis isolates.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona State University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5640. Phone: (928) 523-1078. Fax: (928) 523-0639. E-mail: Paul.Keim{at}nau.edu.

{dagger} A.J. and J.F. contributed equally to this work.

Journal of Bacteriology, September 2004, p. 5808-5818, Vol. 186, No. 17
0021-9193/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JB.186.17.5808-5818.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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