Table 4. Main features of each VNTR locus used to create the MLVA panel to infer the analysis of the 142 Psa strains.

VNTR locus name including coding convention	TR length	Length of final partial TR	Simpson’s Diversity Index	N° of different alleles	Amplicons range (bp)	Observed alleles(including partial final repeat)
Psa-01_7bp_202bp_9U a	7	3	0.746	6	153–202	3–7;9
Psa-03_7bp_215bp_10U b	7	4	0.732	10	164–236	3–4;6–13
Psa-04_33bp_223bp_3U c f	33	-	0.378	4	157–223	Ø;1–3
Psa-05_7bp_189bp_6U	7	4	0.713	6	161–203	2;4–8
Psa-06_8bp_155bp_4U e	8	-	0.443	6	139–171	Ø;2–6
Psa-07_8bp_72bp_2U e	8	7	0.417	4	72–88	Ø;2–4
Psa-08_9bp_171bp_3U	9	-	0.739	8	162–243	2–4;6–10
Psa-09_105bp_621bp_6U e	99–112 d	32	0.596	4	305–723	Ø;3;6–7
Psa-10_7bp_246bp_14U	7	6	0.843	12	162–260	2;6–14;16–17
GM-254_8bp_367bp_5U e	8	3	0.429	8	367–423	Ø;4–8;11–12
GM-1553_7bp_206bp_6U	7	6	0.741	5	185–220	3–6;8
GM-1834_6bp_278bp_18U	6	4	0.855	13	206–278	6–18
GM-4076_7bp_191bp_2U	7	6	0.364	3	191–205	2–4

^a the low virulence strains have a seven nucleotides gap in right flanking region when using the indicated primers.

^b the low virulence strains have a two nucleotides gap in left flanking region when using the indicated primers, resulting in a 164 bp allele.

^c the low virulence strains have one additional nucleotide in right flanking region when using the indicated primers.

^d the length of TRs can change in the described range.

^e these loci are not amplified on DNA from low virulent strains.

^f this locus is not amplified on DNA from Japanese strains from 1984 to 1988 and from Italian strain isolated in 1992.

^Ø indicates amplification failure.