Campylobacter lari is a bacterium associated infrequently with human e
nteritis. Its differentiation from C. jejuni and C. coli relies on a f
ew biochemical tests whose efficacy is highly questioned; therefore, t
he incidence and transmission of this pathogen has not been well studi
ed. Two novel oligonucleotide primers for the polymerase chain reactio
n (PCR) that specifically amplify a 579-bp segment of the 16S rRNA gen
e of C. lari under optimized conditions were designed. No PCR product
was detected when DNA from other strains of Campylobacter, Arcobacter,
Helicobacter, Escherichia, Salmonella or Listeria was used as templat
es. Fast identification of C. lari through the present technique may a
id the understanding of its incidence and epidemiology. (C) 1997 Elsev
ier Science B.V.