USE OF AN AMPLIFIED-FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM TECHNIQUE TO FINGERPRINT AND DIFFERENTIATE ISOLATES OF HELICOBACTER-PYLORI

Amplified-fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis is the name giv en to a genotypic technique in which adapter oligonucleotides are liga ted to restriction enzyme fragments and theta used as target sites for primers in a PCR amplification process. The amplified fragments are e lectrophoretically separated to give strain-specific band profiles. We have developed a single-enzyme approach that did not require costly e quipment or reagents for the fingerprinting of strains of Helicobacter pylori, The method was assessed with 46 isolates of H. pylori from 28 patients, and the results were compared with those from other genotyp ic tests. The AFLP profiles derived from HindIII fragments differentia ted strains of H. pylori from unrelated individuals and confirmed the common origin of strains in some family members, AFLP analysis was als o applied to investigate persistent infection following antibiotic the rapy. Overall, the modified technique was relatively rapid and technic ally simple yet gave reproducible and discriminatory results. AFLP ana lysis samples variation throughout the genome and is a valuable additi on to the existing genotypic fingerprinting methods for H. pylori.