title: Clostridium difficile genotyping based on slpA variable region in S-layer gene sequence: an alternative to serotyping.
abstract: Recent investigations of Clostridium difficile cell wall components have revealed the presence of an S-layer encoded by the slpA gene. The aim of this study was to determine whether slpA genotyping can be used as an alternative to serotyping. The variable regions of slpA were amplified by PCR from serogroup reference strains and various clinical isolates chosen randomly. Amplified products were analyzed after restriction enzyme digestion and DNA sequencing. The sequences of the variable region of the SlpA protein were found to be strictly identical within a given serogroup but divergent between serogroups. These preliminary results suggest that PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism, in conjunction with DNA sequencing of the slpA variable region, could constitute an alternative typing method for determining C. difficile serotypes.
authors.affiliation: Université de Paris-Sud, Faculté de Pharmacie, Département de Microbiologie, 92296 ChAtenay-Malabry Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Tuomo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Karjalainen
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Saumier
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Barc
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Delmée
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Collignon
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D001483:Base Sequence; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C070683:surface layer protein A, Bacteria