PCR-MEDIATED DNA TYPING OF CAMPYLOBACTER-JEJUNI ISOLATED FROM PATIENTS WITH RECURRENT INFECTIONS

The polymerase chain reaction [PCR) and two primers aiming at the enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) and arbitrary DNA sequences, respectively, were used to fingerprint the genomic DNA of 24 Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated from five patients with recurrent C. jejuni infections. Results were compared with biotyping and serotyping. The latter two methods, when combined. distinguished 9 different types, whereas PCR-mediated DNA analysis discriminated 14 different patterns. For six strains, the results of PCR-mediated typing led to different interpretations. This method is proposed as an additional tool to further discriminate between C. jejuni strains that appear related by conventional typing methods. In view of its rapidity and simplicity, this method is a potential candidate to replace the relatively slow and laborious conventional methods. However, further study is needed to assess the sensitivity and specificity of PCR-mediated DNA analysis and to investigate the usefulness of this method as an epidemiological tool in outbreaks of Campylobacter infections.