Molecular epidemiological study of Bacillus anthracis isolated in Mongolia by multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis for 8 loci (MLVA-8)

The incidence of anthrax, which is caused by Bacillus anthracis, in the human and animal population of Mongolia has increased recently, and control of this infection is a nationwide concern. In this study, 29 isolates obtained from animals and various regions in Mongolia from 2001 to 2007 were analyzed by performing multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis for 8 loci (MLVA-8) to understand the genetic relationship between the Mongolian B. anthracis isolates. We found that all the Mongolian isolates can be classified into A3 cluster along with the Japanese and the Chinese B. anthracis isolates. Our data revealed that MLVA-8 is useful for studying the molecular epidemiology of the Mongolian B. anthracis isolates and would help characterize B. anthracis infections in Mongolia.