Flagellin gene PCR-RFLP analysis of a panel of strains from the Burkholderia cepacia complex

Burkholderia cepacia, an important opportunist pathogen, is genetically het erogeneous, The B. cepacia complex has been subdivided into a number of gen ospecies or genomovars, A flagellin gene PCR-RFLP method was applied to a r epresentative panel of strains of known genomovar The technique was able to distinguish strains of B, multivorans from other members of the B, cepacia complex on the basis of amplicon size (typical of type I rather than type II flagellins) with the exception of one genomovar I strain, There was cons iderable variation in RFLP patterns amongst the panel of strains; only two pairs of strains were indistinguishable with both HaeIII and MspI digestion , Where RFLP patterns matched with both enzymes or a single enzyme, matchin g strains were always in the same genomovar, It was possible to distinguish the UK cystic fibrosis epidemic strain from all other members of the panel , including nine other genomovar III strains, The level of variation sugges ts that flagellin genotyping is a useful method for discriminating between B, cepacia strains.