CHARACTERIZATION OF SCEDOSPORIUM-PROLIFICANS CLINICAL ISOLATES BY RANDOMLY AMPLIFIED POLYMORPHIC DNA ANALYSIS

Fingerprinting by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis w as used to differentiate Scedosporium prolificans isolates, A total of 59 arbitrary primers were screened with sis unrelated S, prolificans isolates, and a panel of 12 primers was selected, The ii primers were that used to detect DIVA polymorphisms among 17 S. prolificans isolate s from 11 patients with systemic S. prolificans infections diagnosed i n three hospitals located in geographically different areas of Spain, Eight patients were diagnosed with S, prolificans infection in a singl e institution over a 6-year period, and two other patients were diagno sed with S. prolificans infection in a different hospital over a 1-yea r period. No single primer allowed for the discrimination of all the i solates from different-patients, but this was possible by combining th e RAPD patterns from three primers (UBC 701, AB1.08, and AB1.11 or UBC 701, AB1.08 and UBC 707). However, multiple isolates from the same pa tient were identical, In this study, we also compared a visual method and a computerized method for the analysis of the RAPD patterns, Both methods were satisfactory and gave few discordances, hut given the adv antages and disadvantages of each method, both systems should he used together, RAPD analysis provided a fast and economical means of typing S. prolificans isolates, with a high level of discrimination among un related isolates. Typing by RAPD analysis confirmed that the S. prolif icans infections were epidemiologically unrelated.