title: Arcobacter-specific and Arcobacter butzleri-specific 16S rRNA-based DNA probes.
abstract: The genus Arcobacter encompasses gram-negative, aerotolerant, spiral-shaped bacteria formerly designated Campylobacter cryaerophila. Two genus-specific 16S rRNA-based oligonucleotide DNA probes (23-mer and 27-mer) were developed. The probes hybridized with strains of Arcobacter butzleri (n = 58), Arcobacter cryaerophilus (n = 19), and Arcobacter skirrowii (n = 17). The probes did not cross-react with any of the reference strains of Campylobacter, Helicobacter, including "Flexispira rappini," or Wolinella. The 27-mer hybridized with 61 Arcobacter spp. field isolates originating from late-term aborted porcine (n = 54) and equine (n = 2) fetuses and humans with enteritis (n = 5). The species of Arcobacter isolates (n = 56) recovered from aborted livestock fetuses were determined by ribotyping and were as follows: A. cryaerophilus group 1A (11 of 56; 20%), A. cryaerophilus group 1B (37 of 56; 66%), A. butzleri (5 of 56; 9%), and unknown (3 of 56; 5%). The five human field strains were identified as A. butzleri. A species-specific DNA probe (24-mer) for A. butzleri was also developed since there is evidence that this organism may be a human pathogen. This probe hybridized with previously characterized strains of A. butzleri (n = 58), with 10 field strains identified as A. butzleri by ribotyping and with 2 strains having an indeterminate ribotype. The A. butzleri-specific probe did not cross-react with strains of A. skirrowii (n = 17) and A. cryaerophilus (n = 19).
authors.affiliation: National Animal Disease Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ames, Iowa 50010, USA.
authors.forename: I V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Wesley
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Schroeder-Tucker
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Baetz
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Dewhirst
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Paster
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015342:DNA Probes / Q000235:genetics*; D004751:Enteritis / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000382:microbiology; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011247:Pregnancy; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013552:Swine; D013553:Swine Diseases / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D015342:DNA Probes; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S