TABLE 2.

Characteristics of GBS strains used in this study

Strain or isolate	Serotype	Alpha-protein-like protein^a
Reference strains
NCTC 11078 (A909)	Ia/C	Alpha
090	Ia	Alp2^b
NCTC 8187 (H36B)	Ib/C	Alpha
M 781	III/R	Rib
Prague 1/82	IV	Epsilon
Prague 10/84	V	Negative
Prague 118754	VI	Epsilon
Prague 7271	VII	Epsilon
JM9-130013	VIII/R	Alp3^b
NCTC 9828	NT/R	Alp4
Clinical isolates
1319	Ia	Epsilon
1325	Ia	Epsilon
2129	Ib	Alpha
5518	Ib	Alpha
2088	Ia/C	Epsilon
5551	Ia/C	Alpha
1599	Ib/C	Alpha
1977	Ib/C	Alpha
5401	II	Alpha
3050	II	Rib
2452	II/C	Epsilon
5405	II/C	Alpha
2448	II/R	Rib
2141	II/R	Rib
5368	III	Rib
5435	III	Rib
5400	III	Alp2^b
1056	III/C	Epsilon
1496	III/C	Epsilon
2601	III/C	Alpha
4383	III/R	Rib
1998	III/R	Rib
1999	IV	Epsilon
2274	IV	Alpha
1613	IV	Epsilon
2273	IV	Alpha
2620	IV	Epsilon
2102	V	Epsilon
2361	VII/R	Alp3^b
2362	VII/R	Alp3^b
5408	VIII	Alp2^b
2179	VIII/C	Epsilon
1715	VIII/R	Rib
2198	VIII/R	Rib
2442	VIII/R	Alp2^b
2925	NT	Alpha
2933	NT	Alpha
2450	NT	Alpha
2927	NT	Alpha
3002	NT	Rib
2277	NT/C	Alpha
2914	NT/C	Epsilon
2116	NT/R	Rib
5366	NT/R	Rib
Bovine strains
3492	III	Epsilon
3491	IV	Epsilon
3476	IV	Epsilon
3477	IV	Epsilon
3479	NT	Epsilon
3485	NT	Epsilon
3487	NT/C	Alpha
3490	NT	Epsilon
3488	NT	Negative
2628	V	Rib
2068	V	Alp3^b
2110	V/C	Epsilon
2929	V/C	Alpha
5403	V/R	Rib
1989	VI	Epsilon
1992	VI	Epsilon
1990	VI/C	Epsilon
1994	VI/C	Epsilon
1272	VII/C	Alpha
2928	VII/C

↵a The designation of the alpha-protein-like protein encoded by the gene is based both on PCR results and sequencing of the PCR product.
↵b The differentiation between the proteins encoded by the alp2 and alp3 genes was performed by sequencing entire genes as described in reference 10.