POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION RIBOTYPES OF CLOSTRIDIUM-DIFFICILE IN HOSPITALS IN ENGLAND AND WALES

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ribotyping scheme was applied to str ains of Clostridium difficile from 53 hospitals throughout England and Wales. PCR ribotype type 1 was by far the most common genotype and wa s present in 30/53 (57%) of the hospitals investigated. PCR products f rom 40 type 1 strains from 22 hospitals were digested using 11 differe nt restriction enzymes. This analysis revealed no differences in the 1 6S-23S intergenic spacer region of these strains indicating a high lev el of homogeneity within this PCR ribotype.