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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Sep 1995, 2372-2376, Vol 33, No. 9
J Ridell, A Siitonen, L Paulin, O Lindroos, H Korkeala and MJ Albert
Hafnia alvei strains which possess the attachment-effacement gene (eaeA)
may have clinical importance as new diarrhea-causing pathogens and should
therefore be differentiated from other H. alvei strains. We characterized
diarrheal H. alvei strains, which were positive in the PCR test for the
eaeA gene, using biochemical tests not routinely used for identification of
members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, and compared them with
eaeA-negative strains isolated from different clinical and nonclinical
sources to find characteristics useful for identification. Random amplified
polymorphic DNA (RAPD)-PCR and partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene were
utilized to study the genetic diversity of the isolates. The eaeA-positive
strains were found to have many characteristic biochemical properties.
Negative reactions in the 2- ketogluconate and histidine assimilation tests
and a positive reaction in the 3-hydroxybenzoate assimilation test may be
useful in routine diagnostics. Nearly identical RAPD-PCR profiles and
identical 353-bp fragments of the 16S rRNA genes indicated little genetic
diversity among the eaeA-positive strains. The low level of homology (92%)
in the partial 16S rRNA genes of eaeA-positive and -negative H. alvei
strains raises questions about the taxonomic positioning of eaeA-positive
H. alvei.
Copyright © 1995 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Characterization of Hafnia alvei by biochemical tests, random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR, and partial sequencing of 16S rRNA gene
Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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