Table 2.

Description of Bacillus anthracis polymorphic markers

							Expected		Number
							product	Estimated	of	Total	PIC
Marker	U	N	%	V	Primer sequences	PCR	length in	size	alleles	number	index
			GC				bp	range	in B.	of
							(observed)	(bp)	anthracis	alleles
Ceb-Bams 1	21	16	44	88	L: GTTGAGCATGAGAGGTACCTTGTCCTTTTT		485	410-520	5	5	0.72
					R: AGTTCAAGCGCCAGAAGGTTATGAGTTATC		(520)
Ceb-Bams 3	15	25	59	73	L: GCAGCAACAGAAAACTTCTCTCCAATAACA		544	480-860	6	9	0.75
					R: TCCTCCCTGAGAACTGCTATCACCTTTAAC	1%
Ceb-Bams 5	39	10	49	92	L: GCAGGAAGAACAAAAGAAACTAGAAGAGCA	53°C	307	305-385	3	3	0.56
					R:ATTATTAGCAGGGGCCTCTCCTGCATTACC	60s
Ceb-Bams 7	18	49	55	69	L: GAATATTCGTGCCACCTAACAAAACAGAAA	65°C	1017	600-1950	9	9	0.82
					R: TGTCAGATCTAGTTGGCCCTACTTTTCCTC	1%
Ceb-Bams 13	9	70	60	79	L: AATTGAGAAATTGCTGTACCAAACT	120s	814	330-850	8	11	0.79
					R: CTAGTGCATTTGACCCTAATCTTGT	1%
Ceb-Bams 15	18	12	57	77	L: GTATTTCCCCCAGATACAGTAATCC		409	410-610	5	5	0.59
					R: GTGTACATGTTGATTCATGCTGTTT
Ceb-Bams 21	45	11	43	75	L: TGTAGTGCCAGATTTGTCTTCTGTA		676	540-680	3	3	0.14
					R: CAAATTTTGAGATGGGAGTTTTACT
Ceb-Bams 22	36	15	39	81	L: ATCAAAAATTCTTGGCAGACTGA		735	590-950	4	6	0.51
					R: ACCGTTAATTCACGTTTAGCAGA
Ceb-Bams 23	42	11	37	85	L: CGGTCTGTCTCTATTATTCAGTGGT		653	570-820	3	4	0.49
					R: CCTGTTGCTCCTAGTGATTTCTTAC
Ceb-Bams 24	42	11	44	80	L: CTTCTACTTCCGTACTTGAAATTGG		630	335-670	3	6	0.2
					R: CGTCACGTACCATTTAATGTTGTTA
Ceb-Bams 25	15	14	45	60	L: CCGAATACGTAAGAAATAAATCCAC		391	375-390	2	2	0.07
					R: TGAAAGATCTTGAAAAACAAGCATT
Ceb-Bams 28	24	14	36	70	L: CTCTGTTGTAACAAAATTTCCGTCT		493	300-400	3	3	0.26
					R: TATTAAACCAGGCGTTACTTACAGC		(400)
Ceb-Bams 30	27	16	58	78	L: AGCTAATCACCTACAACACCTGGTA	120s		200-890	11	11	0.77
					R: CAGAAAATATTGGACCTACCTTCC	1%
Ceb-Bams 31	9	64	58	57	L: GCTGTATTTATCGAGCTTCAAAATCT		772	300-850	4	4	0.32
					R: GGAGTACTGTTTGTTGAATGTTGTTT	1%

Some structural characteristics of the tandem repeats are presented : U (unit length), N (number of repeats), %GC, V (% of conservation). PCR and electrophoresis conditions are as described in the material and methods section : annealing temperature is 60°C, elongation time is 60 seconds and gels are 2% agarose except when indicated otherwise. The expected product length is deduced from the sequencing data corresponding to the Ames strain. When the Ames strains typing does not fit with the expected value, the observed value is indicated between (). Only one side of the Ceb-Bams30 minisatellite can be identified in the available Ames sequence. The other side was identified in the course of the independent, partial sequencing of B. anthracis strains (Vergnaud and col., unpublished data). Total number of alleles includes alleles observed in the B. cereus strains. Polymorphism Information Index (PIC) or Nei's diversity index is calculated as 1 - Σ (allele frequency)².