PULSED-FIELD GEL-ELECTROPHORESIS INDICATES GENOTYPIC HETEROGENEITY AMONG CAMPYLOBACTER-UPSALIENSIS STRAINS

To determine the genomic relatedness among a selection of animal and h uman Campylobacter upsaliensis isolates, macrorestriction profiles wer e generated for 20 C. upsaliensis strains, among 7 serogroups, using p ulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). XhoI, SalI and SacII restricti on enzyme profiles indicated genomic heterogeneity among strains. Usin g XhoI and SacII restriction enzyme digestion, genomic similarities be tween some pairs of strains were Lier serogroup specific. The genomic sizes of these isolates varied from 1.74 to 2.09 Mb. These results dem onstrate molecular heterogeneity of this species similar to that found among Helicobacter pylori isolates. Among C. upsaliensis strains, PFG E is highly discriminatory and should prove a useful molecular typing method for epidemiological purposes.