title: Genetic characterization of a cryptic genospecies of Haemophilus causing urogenital and neonatal infections.
abstract: In recent years, reports originating from several areas of the world have identified biotype IV strains of Haemophilus influenzae as a cause of serious urogenital, neonatal, and mother-infant infections. Preliminary analysis of a sample of biotype IV isolates found evidence for a cryptic genospecies of Haemophilus (R. Quentin, A. Goudeau, R. J. Wallace, Jr., A. L. Smith, R. K. Selander, and J. M. Musser. J. Gen. Microbiol. 136:1203-1209, 1990). Eighteen biotype IV strains assigned to the cryptic genospecies were further characterized by their rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns and genomic DNA-DNA hybridization. Isolates of the cryptic genospecies have distinctive rDNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms that differ from those of Haemophilus haemolyticus and H. influenzae. Genomic hybridization studies show that these organisms are allied with H. influenzae and H. haemolyticus and suggest a distant trifurcation of H. influenzae, H. haemolyticus, and the cryptic genospecies.
authors.affiliation: Département de Microbiologie Médicale et Moléculaire, Centre Hospitalier, Universitaire Bretonneau, Tours, France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quentin
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Musser
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pasquier-Picard
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goudeau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D052776:Female Urogenital Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D006190:Haemophilus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal