A CLUSTER OF CASES OF INFECTIONS DUE TO AEROMONAS-HYDROPHILA REVEALEDBY COMBINED RAPD AND ERIC-PCR

Two polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods were used for epidem iological typing of Aeromonas hydrophila. Random amplification of poly morphic DNA (RAPD) and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus -PCR (ERIC-PCR) were applied to an outbreak involving seven patients. The epidemiological situation appeared complex; with the exception of two clinical isolates, all gave unique patterns with both techniques. These methods demonstrated nosocomial transmission in one unit and per mitted the study to exclude a common environmental source in the hospi tal. The coincidental clustering of patients infected with A. hydrophi la probably resulted from an increased prevalence of aeromonads in wat ers during summer, although no single RAPD or ERIC-PCR pattern was fou nd among both clinical and environmental samples. RAPD and ERIC-PCR pr oved to be effective for the epidemiological study of A. hydrophila st rains.