PCR-BASED CHARACTERIZATION OF YERSINIA-ENTEROCOLITICA - COMPARISON WITH BIOTYPING AND SEROTYPING

PCR-based DNA fingerprinting was used to characterize 48 clinical isol ates of Yersinia enterocolitica. The samples were examined by random a mplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR) and inter-repeat PCR (IR-PCR). IR- PCR with two enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus primers r esulted in patterns which were poorly discriminated; 2 of 11 arbitrary primers (RAPD-PCR) provided sufficient discriminatory power. In compa risons with serotyping and biotyping, RAPD-fingerprinting was the most discriminatory technique and may therefore be a valuable epidemiologi cal tool for the study of Y. enterocolitica infections.