INCIDENCE AND SPREAD OF HAEMOPHILUS-INFLUENZAE ON AN ANTARCTIC BASE DETERMINED USING THE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

A PCR-based method of detecting Haemophilus influenzae in cultures ino culated from throat swabs was evaluated using samples from groups of l aboratory staff and medical students and then applied to samples origi nating from the closed human community of an Antarctic research statio n. Suitable PCR primers to an H. influenzae gene (ompP2) were used to amplify the gene from DNA preparations made from mixed growth on choco late agar with added vancomycin. PCR product was reamplified and subje cted to restriction endonuclease digestion to allow temporal and spati al mapping of strains over an 8-month period. Eleven different strains of H. influenzae were detected. One particular strain was detected in a third of the base members.