title: [The comparative identification of Campylobacter strains by traditional enzymatic tests and the gene amplification reaction].
abstract: 39 strains of Campylobacter isolated from 153 diarrhoeal children (0-3 years) were comparatively identified by the traditional enzymatic tests and by the Polymerase Chain reaction (PCR). The hippurate hydrolysis test appreciated 27 strains as Campylobacter jejuni (69.2%) and 12 strains as Campylobacter coli (30.8%). The P.C.R. realised in France has appreciated 29 strains as Campylobacter jejuni (74.4%) and 10 strains as Campylobacter coli (25.6%). The analysis of the results discrepancy permitted to reveal 4 strains appreciated by two methods as different ones. The supplementary examinations of dubious strains by API-Campy test systems permitted to confirm the PCR results and to explain their divergence in contrast to hippurate hydrolysis test results. Two results were appreciated as false ones for hippurate test (5.1%). Other two errors were due to two hippurate-negative Campylobacter jejuni strains. The PCR results were exact, without errors and not influenced by modified phenotypical characters of Campylobacter strains. Thus, the efficiency of the identification by the hippurate hydrolysis test was only 89.7% in comparison to 100% efficiency of PCR (p<0.05). The discrepant cases indicated the necessity of supplementary differentiation of hippurate-negative Campylobacter strains including genetical methods in order to define the species exactly and to prevent the grave consequences especially characteristic of Campylobacter jejuni.
authors.affiliation: Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie N. Testemiţanu, Chişinău.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sicinschi
mesh_terms: D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D002167:Campylobacter / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D003968:Diarrhea, Infantile / Q000382:microbiology; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods