Bacterial genotyping methods have been used in several areas of microbiology and have facilitated the identification of bacterial strains, as well as the study of virulence and resistance factors, epidemiological surveillance, among others. Constituting, in this way, as complementary or alternative to phenotypic methods. This chapter reviews some of the methods of bacterial genotyping used nowadays, explains briefly how they are performed, and highlights some limitations and advantages they have.
Keywords: Bacteria; Genotyping techniques; Microbiological techniques.