Baj. Giesendorf et al., POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION-MEDIATED DNA-FINGERPRINTING FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES ON CAMPYLOBACTER SPP, Journal of Medical Microbiology, 40(2), 1994, pp. 141-147
The applicability of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-mediated DNA typi
ng, with primers complementary to dispersed repetitive DNA sequences a
nd arbitrarily chosen DNA motifs, to study the epidemiology of campylo
bacter infection was evaluated. With a single PCR reaction and simple
gel electrophoresis, strain-specific DNA banding patterns were observe
d for Campylobacter jejuni and C. upsaliensis. DNA from multiple strai
ns isolated during an outbreak of C. jejuni meningitis generated ident
ical banding patterns and could be distinguished from randomly isolate
d strains. Strains from a community outbreak of C. upsaliensis, that w
ere all identical by conventional typing methods, could be divided int
o two genetically different groups. This report illustrates that PCR f
ingerprinting can be successfully applied in epidemiological investiga
tions of campylobacter infections.