title: Prevalence of four virulence genes in Campylobacter jejuni determined by PCR and sequence analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The presence of four virulence genes (racR, wlaN, cgtB, virB11) in 356 Campylobacter jejuni strains isolated from confirmed clinical cases was examined by PCR and sequence analysis. The investigated genes were chosen on the basis of their variation in prevalence.
  
  
  METHODS
  The virulence genes were detected by PCR and the amplified products were submitted for sequence analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The gene with the highest prevalence was racR (87.08%). virB was present in only 1.69% of the C. jejuni strains, and wlaN and cgtB were detected in 16.01% and 24.44%, respectively. Five strains associated with Guillain-Barré syndrome and Miller-Fischer syndrome out of the total of 356 (1.40%) were positive for cgtB.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that racR may encode factors necessary for bacterial pathogenicity in humans, while the roles of the other three genes remain ambiguous.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Athens Medical School - Aeginition Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Vasilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kordinas
authors.forename: Chryssoula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicolaou
authors.forename: Anastassios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ioannidis
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Papavasileiou
authors.forename: Nicolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: John Legakis
authors.forename: Stylianos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chatzipanagiotou
mesh_terms: D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D002648:Child; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005759:Gastroenteritis / Q000382:microbiology; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D019846:Miller Fisher Syndrome / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017421:Sequence Analysis; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors