Data for Paper: Advanced DNA fingerprints genotyping of chip electrophoresis samples

Large-scale
comparative studies of DNA fingerprints prefer automated chip capillary
electrophoresis instead of conventional gel planar electrophoresis due to the higher
precision of the digitalization process. However, the determination of band
sizes is still limited by the device resolution and sizing accuracy. Band
matching, therefore, remains the key step in DNA fingerprint analysis. Current
methods mostly evaluate only the pair similarity of the samples, using
heuristically determined constant thresholds to evaluate the maximum allowed
band size deviation. Such an approach significantly reduces the ability to
distinguish between closely related samples. In this study, a new approach
based on global multiple alignments of bands of all samples, with an adaptive
threshold derived from the detailed migration analysis of a large number of
real samples, is presented. The proposed approach allows accurate automated
analysis of DNA fingerprint similarities for extensive epidemiological studies
of bacterial strains, thereby helping to prevent the spread of dangerous
microbial infections.