Molecular typing techniques can be useful for improving our understanding on the epidemiology of bacterial plant pathogens. MLVA (multi-locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis) is suitable for typing bacterial species or pathovars with low overall genetic diversity. We evaluated the MLVA scheme developed for Xanthomonas citri pv. citri as a typing technique for phylogenetically related organisme, including X. citri pv. mangiferaeindicae, the causal agent of mango bacterial canker. For this bacterium, 12 out of 14 VNTRs produced amplification fragments. When a worldwide strain collection was typed, almost every strain had a unique fingerprint, leading to a discriminatory power index 1), higher than that derived from AFLP for the same collection. Trees of the genetic diversity showed a geographical correlation. MLVA was also used on a field scale and was useful for elucidating the question of inoculum sources putatively associated with an out-break. MLVA indicated that strains symptomlessly associated with nursery plants used for plot establishment contributed very little to the outbreak, suggesting a low biological significance for epiphytic populations of X. citri pv mangiferaeindicae; (Texte intégral)