GENOMIC FINGERPRINTING OF HAEMOPHILUS-SOMNUS ISOLATES BY USING A RANDOM-AMPLIFIED POLYMORPHIC DNA ASSAY

The random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay was used to generate DNA fingerprints for 16 isolates of ''Haemophilus somnus,'' and one isolate each of ''Haemophilus agni,'' ''Histophilus ovis,'' ''Actinobacillus seminis,'' Pasteurella haemolytica, and Escherichia coli. The RAPD assay differentiated among ''H. somnus'' isolates, which shared similarity coefficients of 0.46 to 1.00 on the basis of pairwise comparisons of RAPD markers produced with nine random decamer primers. Three virulent encephalitic ''H. somnus'' isolates exhibited identical banding patterns, suggesting a common clonal ancestry. The RAPD assay clearly distinguished between the ''H. somnus''-''H. agni''-''H. ovis'' group and the other bacterial species tested. The results of the present study suggest that DNA fingerprinting of ''H. somnus'' isolates by the RAPD assay could be valuable in revealing subspecific divisions within this largely unexplored species.