Rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria by single-enzyme amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis

Despite major progress in their treatment and prevention, bacterial infecti ons remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In res ponding to a disease outbreak, rapid and accurate identification of the bac terial species involved is of paramount importance. Strain level discrimina tion is desirable to allow selection of treatment modalities, and in the ca se of a deliberate release, for identification of the source. Single-enzyme amplified fragment length polymorphism (SE-AFLP) analysis was used to perform species and strain identification of subgroup I Bacilli, Y ersinia, Staphylococci and Escherichia coli. By careful selection of AFLP p rimers, it was possible to obtain reproducible and sensitive identification to strain level, even within the highly monomorphic species Bacillus anthr acis. SE-AFLP fragments can be analyzed using standard gel electrophoresis, and c an be easily scored by visual inspection, due to the low complexity of the fingerprint obtained by this method. These features make SE-AFLP suitable f or use in either field or laboratory applications. (C) 2001 Elsevier Scienc e Inc. All rights reserved.