Distribution and abundance of Gram-positive bacteria in the environment: development of a group-specific probe

We developed a 16S rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probe (S-P-GPos- 1200-a-A- 13) for the Gram-positive bacteria. confirmed its specificity by database s earches and hybridization studies, and investigated the effects of humic ac ids on membrane hybridizations with this probe. S-P-GPos-1200-a-A-13 was us ed to estimate the abundance of Gram-positive populations in the bovine rum en and Lake Michigan sediments. This probe should be useful for studies of the environmental distribution of Gram-positive bacteria and the detection of uncultured, phylogenetically Gram-positive bacteria with variable or neg ative Gram staining reactions, and could serve for Gram staining in some di agnostic settings, (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.