CHARACTERIZATION OF BURKHOLDERIA-CEPACIA FROM CYSTIC-FIBROSIS PATIENTS LIVING IN WALES BY PCR RIBOTYPING

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ribotyping detects differences in the intergenic spacer region between the 16S and 23S rRNA genes. This meth od was applied to Burkholderia cepacia isolates from 16 Welsh cystic f ibrosis (CF) patients attending three different clinics. Amplification of the intergenic spacer followed by an additional digestion step wit h TaqI restriction endonuclease identified seven distinct electrophore tic patterns among the patient isolates. Each of the seven patterns wa s distinct from that of the so called ''epidemic strain'' commonly iso lated from patients attending clinics elsewhere in the UK. Two environ mental isolates from the hospital clinics and four NCTC reference stra ins gave different patterns. The simplicity of the method lends itself to use in a general microbiological laboratory.