SUB-SPECIFIC DIFFERENTIATION OF INTESTINAL SPIROCHETE ISOLATES BY MACRORESTRICTION FRAGMENT PROFILING

Macrorestriction fragment profile analysis by PFGE was used to disting uish intestinal spirochaetes, some of which were isolated from cases o f swine dysentery and intestinal spirochaetosis in humans, pigs, mice, chickens and dogs. Macrorestriction fragment profiles using Smal and SacII restriction enzymes were produced and used in statistical analys is. This permitted the division of the isolates into two major cluster s. One cluster contained isolates which were identified as Serpulina p ilosicoli and the second cluster contained isolates identified as Serp ulina hyodysenteriae by immunoblotting with species-specific mAbs. Bot h species contained sub-specific groups, although these rarely correla ted with the source of the isolates. We conclude that PFGE is capable of sub-specific differentiation of intestinal spirochaetes, but that t he current species contain a large variety of genotypes among which cr oss-species transmission may be feasible.