MOLECULAR FINGERPRINTING OF BACTERIA - EP IDEMIOLOGIC INTEREST

Ribotyping, Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE) and Arbitrarily Pr imed PCR (AP-PCR) are among the most popular fingerprinting methods fo r bacteria. The performances of each method vary according to the genu s or the species studied. The levels of polymorphism and plasticity of the genome are the basis for selecting the method to be used. When th e genome unstability due to internal rearrangements is very high as in Yersinia pestis (a given isolate of which may lead to different molec ular fingerprints), ribotyping is the most suitable method. When the g enome is stable but highly polymorphic (internal rearrangements in the past) as in Leptospira, PFGE as well as ribotyping are suitable. When the genome is highly conserved as it is among strictly clonal bacteri a which did not undergo internal rearrangements (for instance, Bordete lla pertussis or Borrelia burgdorferi sensu late), either PFGE or AP-P CR are suitable.