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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #77749
Title: IDENTIFICATION OF ARCOBACTER AND A. BUTZLERI BY MPCR

Author
item Harmon, Karen
item Wesley, Irene

Submitted to: American Society for Microbiology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/8/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Arcobacter spp. have been implicated in human and animal disease. A. butzleri has been isolated from drinking water, poultry, and ground pork, as well as from cases of human enteritis. Arcobacter is difficult to grow in the laboratory; phenotypic traits to differentiate species of Arcobacter are limited. Herein we describe a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) assay to identify Arcobacter and to distinguish A. butzleri from other arcobacters. The test uses two primer sets. Set I targets a section of the 16S rRNA genes of Arcobacter spp. Set II amplifies a portion of the 23S rRNA genes unique to A. butzleri. We analyzed 41 isolates which had been identified as Arcobacter by ribotyping, including 24 strains of A. butzleri, and 14 closely related non-Arcobacter isolates. Identification by mPCR agreed with the ribotyping results. Arcobacter isolates yielded a 1223 bp product; A. butzleri isolates exhibited both a 1223 bp amplicon and da unique 696 bp product. No amplification product was observed for non-Arcobacter strains. The mPCR assay requires less than eight hours to complete and bypasses the ambiguities of phenotyping. This test will aid in elucidating the prevalence and epidemiology of Arcobacter.