Computer-assisted analysis and epidemiological value of genotyping methodsfor Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli

For epidemiological tracing of the thermotolerant Campylobacter species C. jejuni and C. coli, reliable and highly discriminatory typing techniques ar e necessary. In this study the genotyping techniques of flagellin typing (f laA typing), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), automated ribotyping, and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) fingerprinting were comp ared. The following aspects were compared: computer-assisted analysis, disc riminatory power, and use for epidemiological typing of campylobacters. A s et of 50 campylobacter poultry isolates from The Netherlands and neighborin g countries was analyzed. Computer-assisted analysis made cluster analysis possible and eased the designation of different genotypes, AFLP fingerprint ing was the most discriminatory technique, identifying 41 distinct genotype s, while PFGE identified 38 different types, flaA typing discriminated 31 d ifferent types, and ribotyping discriminated 26 different types. Furthermor e, AFLP analysis was the most suitable method for computer-assisted data an alysis. In some cases combining the results of AFLP fingerprinting, PFGE, a nd flaA typing increased our ability to differentiate strains that appeared genetically related. We conclude that AFLP is a highly discriminatory typi ng method and well suited for computer-assisted data analysis; however, for optimal typing of campylobacters, a combination of multiple typing methods is needed.