MLVA12: cd5, cd6, cd7, cd12, cd22, cd23, cd25, cd27, cd31, F3cd, H9cd, CDR59. MLVA10: cd5, cd6, cd7, cd12, cd22, cd27, cd31, F3cd, H9cd, CDR59. MLVA8: cd5, cd6, cd7, cd12, cd27, F3cd, H9cd, CDR59. b Simpson’s allelic

diversity. c Adjusted Rand’s coefficient. d 95% CI, 95% confidence interval of ongruence. To identify a simplified panel resembling MLVA34, the groups from three smaller panels (MLVA12, MLVA10, and MLVA8) were evaluated for agreement with the PCR-ribotype groups. MLVA10 was the simplest panel yielding groups that were highly congruent (98%) with the PCR-ribotype groups (Table 2). In contrast, congruence significantly decreased when the MLVA was simplified to just eight VNTR loci. Minimum spanning tree analysis of PCR ribotyping-related MLVA panels MST analysis revealed that the MLVA34 types could be clustered into

47 groups, including 21 singletons (Figure 2). Most (41/47) of the MLVA34 groups were specifically see more recognized as a single find more PCR-ribotype group, except for 34_4, 34_41, 34_11, 34_48, 34_25, and 34_26. An isolate of the group 34_41 could not be typed by the cd7 and cd34 loci, and was separated from those of the 34_4 MLVA group; however, all isolates of the 34_41 and 34_4 groups belonged to PCR-ribotype group 4. This shows that isolates of the 34_4 and 34_41 groups were closely related. Isolates of group 34_11 and 34_48 were separated by their different allele numbers at CDR59 and H9cd loci, but these two MLVA groups both belonged to the PCR-ribotype group 11. Figure 2 Minimum-spanning tree of MLVA34 data from 142 C. difficile isolates. Each circle represents unique MLVA type. The numbers between circles represent the VNTR loci differences between MLVA types. The numbers inside circles

Non-specific serine/threonine protein kinase represent the PCR-ribotype groups. MLVA groups were defined as MLVA types having a maximum distance changes at one loci. The different shaded colors denote isolates belonging to a GDC 973 particular MLVA groups. Hyphenated numbers represent the MLVA groups marked with arrows. MST analysis revealed that the MLVA10 types could be clustered into 45 groups, including 20 singletons (Figure 3), and most (41/45) of the MLVA10 groups were specifically recognized as a single PCR-ribotype group. The clustering of MLVA10 (Figure 3) yielded groupings similar to those of MLVA34, except for isolates of PCR-ribotype groups 4, 8, and 23. Since the cd34 VNTR locus was not used in the MLVA10 panel, isolates from the PCR-ribotype group 4 all belonged to the 10_4 group. This indicates that the MLVA10 panel was able to type more strains than the MLVA34 panel. In addition, isolates of the PCR-ribotype groups 8 and 23 were grouped into the 10_8 group, indicating that the MLVA10 is less discriminatory than MLVA34. Figure 3 Minimum-spanning tree of MLVA10 data from 142 C. difficile isolates. Each circle represents unique MLVA type. The numbers between circles represent the VNTR loci differences between MLVA types. The numbers inside circles represent the PCR-ribotype groups.