MOLECULAR TYPING OF CAMPYLOBACTERS

Among the phenotyping schemes used for Campylobacter, serotyping with proteic antigens has been mainly used in recent years. In this study 3 genomic methods of typing strains were used : pulse-field gel electro phoresis of genomic DNA, ribotyping and random amplified polymorphic D NA (RAPD). These techniques were applied to typing of 60 strains of Ca mpylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from invasive diarr hea in France and showed an important diversity in the profiles obtain ed. In addition, ribotyping was used to compare several strains succes sively isolated from 2 patients during a longitudinal study of childre n diarrhea in Vietnam. Various ribotypes have also been found. These t echniques are very useful in order to compare strains and determine th eir identity.