Comparative genetic study of group B streptococcal strains of human and bovine origin

The presence and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of DNA fra gments hybridizing with virulence and "house keeping" gene probes were anal yzed for 87 group B streptococcal (GBS) strains of human and bovine origin. Most characteristics obtained for bovine strains were similar when compare d with those for human strains. The most significant degree of RFLP was dis covered for the sizes of HindIII fragments containing bca gene. Human GBS a ttains with bac gene, encoding beta antigen with IgA binding capacity, were characterized by almost identical complex hybridization patterns with mult iple gene probes. At the same time bac gene was not found among bovine GBS strains. Gene scpB that encodes C5a peptidase in all human GBS strains was detected only in 9 of 39 strains of bovine origin. These two characteristic s effectively distinguished bovine GBS strains from GBS strains of human or igin.