Eight pairs of synthetic oligonucleotide primers were used in a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) protocol to detect genes for staphylococcal enterotoxins A to E, exfoliative toxins A and B, and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 in Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from clinical specimens and contaminated foods. Primers were targeted to internal regions of the toxin genes, and amplification fragments were detected after the PCR by agarose gel electrophoresis. Unequivocal discrimination of toxin genes was obtained by the PCR by using nucleic acids extracted from 88 strains of S. aureus whose toxigenicity was established biologically and immunologically. In immunological assays, two strains of S. aureus produced equivocal results for production of enterotoxin C or toxic shock syndrome toxin 1, giving an overall concordance between phenotypic and genotypic identification of 97.7%. Primer specificity was established in the PCR by using nucleic acids from known toxin-producing bacterial pathogens and from nontoxigenic S. aureus. Strains of Streptococcus spp., including some producers of pyrogenic exotoxin A carrying the speA gene, were negative by the PCR designed to detect staphylococcal toxins. The detection limits were established for all the staphylococcal toxin genes within their respective PCR protocols. The identification of staphylococcal toxin genes in strains of S. aureus by the PCR offers a very specific, sensitive, relatively rapid, and inexpensive alternative to traditional immunological assays which depend on adequate gene expression for reliability and sensitivity.

Cellular fatty acid (CFA) compositions of 561 asporogenous, aerobic gram-positive rods were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography as an adjunct to their identification when grown on blood agar at 35°C. The organisms could be divided into two groups. In the first group (branched-chain type), which included coryneform CDC groups A-3, A-4, and A-5; some strains of B-1 and B-3; "Corynebacterium aquaticum"; Brevibacterium liquefaciens; Rothia dentocariosa; and Listeria spp., the rods had sizable quantities of anteisopentadecanoic (Ca.1s) and anteisoheptadecanoic (Cal7:0) acids. Other species with these types of CFA included B. acetylicum, which contained large amounts of isotridecanoic (Ci13:0) and anteisotridecanoic (Cal3:0) acids. CFAs useful for distinguishing among Jonesia denitrificans, Oerskovia spp., some strains of CDC groups B-1 and B-3, Kurthia spp., and Propionibacterium avidum were hexadecanoic (C 16:0) acid, isopentadecanoic (Cil5:0) acid, and Ca15:0. The second group (straight-chained type), which included Actinomyces pyogenes;

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Four strains of fastidious gram-negative rods, thought to be Capnocytophaga species (formerly CDC group DF-1 or Bacteroides ochraceus) or CDC group DF-3 on the basis of conventional phenotypic criteria, were also analyzed for cellular fatty acid (CFA) composition. It was found that the CFA compositions of these strains were qualitatively incorrect for those taxa. Subsequently, it was determined that all four bacteria were in fact aerotolerant strains of Leptotrichia buccalis, based on biochemical reactions, CFA composition, and lactic acid as the major end product of glucose fermentation. It is recommended that, in addition to conventional cultural and biochemical criteria, all strains of Capnocytophaga or CDC group DF-3 should also be tested for metabolic end products of fermentation and CFA composition as essential adjuncts for identification.