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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 06 1995, 1537-1547, Vol 33, No. 6
A van Belkum, J Kluytmans, W van Leeuwen, R Bax, W Quint, E Peters, A Fluit, C Vandenbroucke-Grauls, A van den Brule and H Koeleman
Fifty-nine isolates of Staphylococcus aureus and a single strain of
Staphylococcus intermedius were typed by arbitrarily primed PCR (AP- PCR).
To study reproducibility and discriminatory abilities, AP-PCR was carried
out in seven laboratories with a standardized amplification protocol,
template DNA isolated in a single institution, and a common set of three
primers with different resolving powers. The 60 strains could be divided
into 16 to 30 different genetic types, depending on the laboratory. This
difference in resolution was due to differences in technical procedures (as
shown by the deliberate introduction of experimental variables) and/or the
interpretation of the DNA fingerprints. However, this did not hamper the
epidemiologically correct clustering of related strains. The average number
of different genotypes identified exceeded those of the more traditional
typing strategies (F. C. Tenover, R. Arbeit, G. Archer, J. Biddle, S.
Byrne, R. Goering, G. Hancock, G. A. Hebert, B. Hill, R. Hollis, W. R.
Jarvis, B. Kreiswirth, W. Eisner, J. Maslow, L. K. McDougal, J. M. Miller,
M. Mulligan, and M. A. Pfaller, J. Clin. Microbiol. 32:407-415, 1994).
Comparison of AP-PCR with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) indicated
the existence of strains with constant PFGE types but variable AP-PCR
types. The reverse (constant AP-PCR and variable PFGE patterns) was also
observed. This indicates additional resolution for combined analyses. It is
concluded that AP-PCR is well suited for genetic analysis and monitoring of
nosocomial spreading of staphylococci. The interlaboratory reproducibility
of DNA-banding patterns and the intralaboratory standardization need
improvement.
Copyright © 1995 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Multicenter evaluation of arbitrarily primed PCR for typing of Staphylococcus aureus strains
Department of Bacteriology, University Hospital Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
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