RAPID IDENTIFICATION OF CAMPYLOBACTER-JEJUNI STRAINS BY POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION AND THEIR RESTRICTION-FRAGMENT-LENGTH-POLYMORPHISM ANALYSIS

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was developed for specific identification of C. jejuni. A primer pair of a conserved region of f lagellin A (fla A) gene identified all 15 strains of C. jejuni isolate d from human faeces. None of the control strains like Helicobacter pyl ori, Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium exce pt C. coli exhibited any amplified product by PCR. A predicted 450 bp could also be amplified from 4 chicken caecal contents positive for C. jejuni - C. coli by culture. The caecal contents remained positive fo r C. jejuni - C. coli by PCR after preservation at 4 degrees C for one week when no viable, organism could be detected. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (RFLP) of fla A amplified product by usi ng Bgl II enzyme classified 15 strains into 5 types. Three C. jejuni s trains isolated from the same patient over a period of 3 wk showed the same RFLP pattern. The present study indicates that PCR is specific f or C. jejuni - C. coli and it has the potential for rapid diagnosis of infection. RFLP can be a good epidemiological marker for C. jejuni in fection.