Subdivision of Mycobacterium tuberculosis into five variants for epidemiological purposes: methods and nomenclature.

Virulent strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from humans are divisible into five variants by using four tests: oxygen requirement (aerobic or microaerophilic), nitrate reductase activity, susceptibility to pyrazinamide (60 micrograms/ml) and susceptibility to thiophene-2-carboxylic acid hydrazide (5 micrograms/ml). The five variants are referred to as Classical human, Asian human, bovine, African I and African II. The relation of these variants to previously described types is discussed. This simple division has been shown to be useful in epidemiological studies.