Open AccessRapid distinction between Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira biflexa by PCR amplification of 23S ribosomal DNA
Author(s) -
Woo Tony H.S,
Smythe Lee D,
Symonds Meegan L,
Norris Michelle A,
Dohnt Michael F,
Patel B.K.C
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1997.tb10343.x
Subject(s) - leptospira interrogans , biology , leptospira , genbank , polymerase chain reaction , ribosomal rna , microbiology and biotechnology , 23s ribosomal rna , ribosomal dna , gene , genetics , serotype , phylogenetics , rna , ribosome
Bacterial specific primers were used to amplify 23S rRNA genes from a representative strain from each of the 23 serogroups of the pathogenic Leptospira interrogans and 8 strains from 6 serogroups of the non‐pathogenic Leptospira biflexa . Only regions of extreme variability, which had been identified on the basis of homology‐based search of all the 23S rRNA sequences available in GenBank database, were sequenced from the amplified products. PCR primers that had the potential to distinguish L . interrogans from L . biflexa species were designed from the derived sequences and a sensitive PCR protocol developed. The PCR method enabled the differentiation of the 59 strains of the 23 serogroups of L . interrogans from the 8 strains of 6 serogroups of L . biflexa . Further investigation by 16S rDNA sequencing of two strains of L . interrogans , which gave unexpected PCR results, provided evidence that they had been misclassified and hence we propose to reassign them to L. biflexa .