DISCRIMINATION AMONG THERMOPHILIC CAMPYLOBACTER SPECIES BY POLYMERASECHAIN-REACTION AMPLIFICATION OF 23S-RIBOSOMAL-RNA GENE FRAGMENTS

By comparing nucleic acid sequences determined for one of the most var iable areas of 23S rRNA genes of 23 Campylobacter strains, we were abl e to identify regions specific for thermophilic Campylobacter strains. Oligonucleotide primers corresponding to these unique regions were sy nthesized and used in the polymerase chain reaction. One primer pair s electively detected all thermophilic Campylobacter species, while four other primer pairs allowed discrimination among the thermophilic spec ies Campylobacter coli, Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni, Campylobac ter lari, and Campylobacter upsaliensis. All primer sets were tested s uccessfully on a large number of dinical isolates.