title: Molecular typing of the etiologic agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis.
abstract: The p44 gene of the agent of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (aoHGE) encodes a 44-kDa major outer surface protein. A technique was developed for the typing of the aoHGE based on the PCR amplification of the p44 gene followed by a multiple restriction digest with HindIII, EcoRV, and AspI to generate restriction fragment length polymorphism patterns. Twenty-four samples of the aoHGE were collected from geographically dispersed sites in the United States and included isolates from humans, equines, canines, small mammals, and ticks. Six granulocytic ehrlichiosis (GE) types were identified. The GE typing method is relatively simple to perform, is reproducible, and is able to differentiate among the various isolates of granulocytic ehrlichiae in the United States. These characteristics suggest that this GE typing method may be an important epizootiological and epidemiological tool.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Minnesota Academic Health Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA.
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Ravyn
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004285:Dogs; D004536:Ehrlichia / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D016873:Ehrlichiosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins