[TYPING OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS STRAINS IN FUKUOKA PREFECTURE, JAPAN, USING 24-LOCUS VARIABLE-NUMBER TANDEM-REPEAT TYPING].

[Aim] To determine genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. [Methods] A total of 296 isolates from 296 tuberculosis patients is tested using 24-locus variable-number tandem- repeat (VNTR) typing. We also determined whether these isolates and a further 10 were Beijing lineage. [Results] The 296 isolates were classified into 264 VNTR types, and re-classified into 25 clusters when each cluster was defined as isolates being identical to VNTR types in 24 regions, or in 23 regions with the exception of one hypervariable region. Two clusters were shown to be identical to that of the Kansai regional epidemic. Regarding regional diversity, hypervariable regions showed relatively higher variation of isolate types. The Beijing lineage accounted for 78.1% of all isolates, which was similar to the value obtained from Kobe (78.5% in 2009) in the Kansai region. [Discussion] Six isolates from Fukuoka Prefecture over- lapped with those from Kansai region with respect to domi- nant VNTR type, while clusters from Fukuoka Prefectural isolates were unique, which may be a feature of Fukuoka prefectural isolates. [Conclusion] These data are likely to be useful for public health measures in the area.