DNA-FINGERPRINTING AND SEROTYPING OF CAMPYLOBACTER-JEJUNI ISOLATES FROM EPIDEMIC OUTBREAKS

The aim of the present investigation was to compare DNA fingerprinting and serotyping (heat-stabile and heat-labile antigens) of isolates fr om epidemic outbreaks as well as of solitary isolates, Campylobacter j ejuni isolates from two epidemic outbreaks in Sweden, one milkborne (3 5 isolates) and one waterborne (17 isolates), and one waterborne outbr eak in Norway (11 isolates), as well as 30 solitary isolates from Swed ish patients with gastroenteritis, were analyzed, A total of 93 isolat es were analyzed. In the waterborne outbreak in Norway, only one serot ype with one DNA pattern was found, In the milkborne outbreak in Swede n, two serotypes (HS2:HL4 and HSNT:HL4) with two different DNA pattern s were found, The isolates from the waterborne outbreak in Sweden were different serotypes. For two isolates of the same serotype, different DNA patterns were seen, This was also recorded for isolates from soli tary cases, It was concluded that serotyping is a useful tool in most epidemiological situations but sometimes lacks sufficient discriminato ry power, DNA fingerprinting can add valuable epidemiological informat ion to that supplied by serotyping and can in some situations provide sufficient epidemiological information when used alone.