CO-MIGRATION OF RAPD-PCR AMPLICONS FROM AEROMONAS-HYDROPHILA

Random amplified polymorphic DNA polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR) uses arbitrary primers and low stringency annealing conditions to ampl ify anonymous DNA fragments which are then depicted in agarose gels. R APD-PCR Finger prints have been used for typing and differentiation of bacteria and, increasingly, for the study of genetic relationships be tween strains and species of microorganisms, plants and animals. The a nalysis of such fingerprints is based upon the assumption that co migr ation of amplicons does not occur and that any given band contains a s ingle amplicon. This report shows that comigration of fragments of nea rly identical size, but different nucleotide sequences, occurs between different isolates and within single RAPD-PCR bands from Aeromonas hy drophila. The possibility of the same phenomenon occurring for other p rokaryotic or eukaryotic genomes argues for caution ir. the interpreta tion of RAPD-PCR fingerprints. (C) 1998 Federation of European Microbi ological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights rese rved.