DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF CAMPYLOBACTER SPP USING THE POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION

Since Campylobacters have fastidious growth requirements and conventio nal detection and identification requires at least 4-6 days, the devel opment of fast but reliable detection procedures is needed. Although m ethods based on DNA probe technology have been developed, these are no t sensitive enough for the detection of Campylobacter spp, in food pro ducts. Therefore a PCR procedure based on the amplification of the 16S rRNA gene was developed that specifically detects the thermophilic Ca mpylobacter species. This assay provides an excellent tool for the rap id and sensitive isolation and identification of Campylobacter spp. fr om chicken samples. In order to further identify the different Campylo bacter spp., which are difficult to distinguish by conventional method s, PCR mediated similar to DNA typing was used to select species-speci fic DNA probes. This combination of PCR fingerprinting and probe hybri dization results in a highly specific identification assay and provide s an example of specific test development without the prior need for D NA sequence information. PCR mediated DNA typing was also used to stud y the epidemiology of diarrheal diseases caused by Campylobacter spp. Using primers complementary to dispersed repetitive DNA sequences and arbitrarily chosen DNA motifs PCR fingerprinting has proven to be a fa st, highly discriminative and relatively simple method that can be app lied in epidemiological investigations on Campylobacter infections. Be sides this application of PCR fingerprinting for typing of Campylobact er spp. this method can also be used for the development of specific D NA probes.