title: Cloned polynucleotide and synthetic oligonucleotide probes used in colony hybridization are equally efficient in the identification of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.
abstract: Restriction endonuclease-generated polynucleotide and synthetically produced oligonucleotide gene probes used in colony hybridization assays proved to be efficient for the detection and differentiation of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. To compare their relative efficiencies, these two sets of probes were radiolabeled with 32P and were applied to 74 strains of E. coli with known enterotoxin profiles and to 156 previously unexamined E. coli isolates. The enterotoxigenic bacteria Vibrio cholerae O1, Vibrio cholerae non-O1 (NAG), Yersinia enterocolitica, and E. coli harboring the plasmid vectors of the polynucleotide gene probes were examined for further evaluation of probe specificity. The two classes of probes showed a perfect concordance in their specific detection and differentiation of enterotoxigenic E. coli. In the analysis of six strains, the signal strength on autoradiography after hybridization with oligonucleotides was weaker than that obtained after hybridization with polynucleotide probes. The probes did not hybridize with DNA from V. cholerae O1, V. cholerae non-O1 (NAG), or Y. enterocolitica. The strains of E. coli harboring the plasmid vectors of the polynucleotide gene probes were, likewise, negative in the hybridization assays.
authors.affiliation: Institute of International Health, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sommerfelt
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kalland
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Raj
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Moseley
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Bhan
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bjorvatn
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D015342:DNA Probes; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005796:Genes; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D010761:Phosphorus Radioisotopes; D011865:Radioisotope Dilution Technique
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D004768:Enterotoxins; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D010761:Phosphorus Radioisotopes