Application of tRNA intergenic spacer PCR for identification of Enterococcus species

tRNA intergenic spacer PCR (tDNA-PCR) was evaluated for its usefulness in t he differentiation of enterococcal species of human and animal origin. This technique was carried out for 124 strains belonging to 17 enterococcal spe cies and generated DNA fragments, which were separated by capillary electro phoresis. tDNA-PCR enabled us to discriminate for all species tested. Enter ococcus faecium showed minor but reproducible differences with Enterococcus durans, while Enterococcus hirae was easily distinguishable. Enterococcus avium, Enterococcus malodoratus, and Enterococcus raffinosus generated high ly similar though distinctive patterns.