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Title: Updated Campylobacter jejuni capsule PCR multiplex typing system and its application to clinical isolates from south and southeast Asia

Author
item POLY, FREERIC - Naval Medical Research Center
item SERICHANTALERGS, ORALAK - Armed Forces Research Institute Of Medical Sciences
item KUROIWA, JANELLE - Naval Medical Research Center
item POOTONG, PIYARAT - Armed Forces Research Institute Of Medical Sciences
item MASON, CARL - Armed Forces Research Institute Of Medical Sciences
item GUERRY, PATRICIA - Naval Medical Research Center
item Parker, Craig

Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/19/2015
Publication Date: 12/2/2015
Publication URL: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0144349
Citation: Poly, F., Serichantalergs, O., Kuroiwa, J., Pootong, P., Mason, C., Guerry, P., Parker, C. 2015. Updated Campylobacter jejuni capsule PCR multiplex typing system and its application to clinical isolates from south and southeast Asia. PLoS One. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144349.

Interpretive Summary: Campylobacter jejuni is a leading cause of bacterial diarrheal disease throughout the world and a frequent commensal in the intestinal tract of poultry and many other animals. Campylobacter jejuni produces a polysaccharide capsule that is the major antigenic determinant of the Penner serotyping scheme. This passive slide agglutination typing system was developed in the early 1980’s and was recognized for over two decades as gold standard for C. jejuni typing. The purpose of this report is to describe an improved PCR-based C. jejuni typing technique that utilizes genetic differences within the capsule biosynthesis genomic loci. A preliminary multiplex PCR technique covering 14 serotypes was previously developed in order to replace this classic serotyping scheme. Here we report the completion of the multiplex PCR technology that is able to identify all the 47 Penner serotypes types known for C. jejuni. The number of capsule types represented within the 47 serotypes is 35. We have applied this method to a collection of 996 clinical isolates from Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal and were able to successfully determine capsule types of 98% of these.

Technical Abstract: Campylobacter jejuni produces a polysaccharide capsule that is the major determinant of the Penner serotyping scheme. This passive slide agglutination typing system was developed in the early 1980’s and was recognized for over two decades as gold standard for C. jejuni typing. A preliminary multiplex PCR technique covering 14 serotypes was previously developed in order to replace this classic serotyping scheme. Here we report the completion of the multiplex PCR technology that is able to identify all the 47 Penner serotypes types known for C. jejuni. The number of capsule types represented within the 47 serotypes is 35. We have applied this method to a collection of 996 clinical isolates from Thailand, Cambodia and Nepal and were able to successfully determine capsule types of 98% of these.