Aires-de-Sousa M, Boye K, de Lencastre H, Deplano A, Enright MC, Etienne J, Friedrich AW, Harmsen D, Holmes A, Huijsdens XW, Kearns AM, Mellmann A, Meugnier H, Rasheed JK, Spalburg E, Strommenger B, Struelens MJ, Tenover FC, Thomas J, Vogel U, Westh H, Xu J, Witte W (2006): High interlaboratory reproducibility of DNA sequence-based typing of bacteria in a multicenter study
J. Clin. Microbiol. 44 (2): 619-621.

Current DNA amplification-based typing methods for bacterial pathogens often lack interlaboratory reproducibility. In this international study, DNA sequence-based typing of the Staphylococcus aureus protein A gene (spa, 110 to 422 bp) showed 100% intra- and interlaboratory reproducibility without extensive harmonization of protocols for 30 blind-coded S. aureus DNA samples sent to 10 laboratories. Specialized software for automated sequence analysis ensured a common typing nomenclature.