A 1189 base-pair long DNA fragment, VS1, was isolated from a Campylobacter jejuni CIP 70.2 cosmid library and was found to contain regions specific for this bacterial species. For detection and identification of C. jejuni, two oligonucleotides derived from the VS1 sequence were used as primers in polymerase chain reaction tests on genomic DNAs from 38 campylobacter and from 10 non-Campylobacter strains. A specific, 358 base-pair long DNA fragment was amplified only when C. jejuni DNA was used as a target. The detection limit of the amplification reaction was as low as 1.86 fg DNA, which is the equivalent of one C. jejuni genome.

Seventeen Campylobacter strains isolated from 16 children hospitalised with acute diarrhea were analysed by in vitro enzymatic amplification using two sets of oligonucleotide primers specific for Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli, respectively. Thirteen strains (76%) were identified as Campylobacter jejuni and four strains (24%) as Campylobacter coli. Subsequent bacteriological identification confirmed the identity of the same 13 Campylobacter jejuni strains and the 4 Campylobacter coli strains. Thus, these PCR methods enabled rapid and specific detection of all the Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli strains without any false-positive or false-negative results.

A 1189 base-pair long DNA fragment, VS1, was isolated from a Campylobacter jejuni CIP 70.2 cosmid library and was found to contain regions specific for this bacterial species. For detection and identification of C. jejuni, two oligonucleotides derived from the VS1 sequence were used as primers in polymerase chain reaction tests on genomic DNAs from 38 campylobacter and from 10 non-Campylobacter strains. A specific, 358 base-pair long DNA fragment was amplified only when C. jejuni DNA was used as a target. The detection limit of the amplification reaction was as low as 1.86 fg DNA, which is the equivalent of one C. jejuni genome.

No abstract

No abstract