title: The first database comprised of flagellin gene (flaA) types of Campylobacter jejuni human clinical isolates from Greece.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Flagellin subunit A gene (flaA) typing of Campylobacter has been recognized by several groups as a relatively simple and quick genotyping method. The present study aimed to create, for the first time in Greece, a database with flaA restriction patterns, which could be used for future epidemiological and clinical studies. A total of 207 C. jejuni clinical isolates of known serotype were collected from 5 general hospitals of the area of Attica, during the period 2000-2003.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The RFLP profiles of each strain were matched in 44 bins of 0 or 1. Thirty nine different flaA types, designated as flaA 1 GR to flaA 39 GR (GR: Greece) were found. There was no significant association of certain genotypes with certain serotypes. However flaA typing showed a remarkable discriminatory ability inside the non-typable (NT) group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evaluating our results we observed (i) that there was no clonality of a certain flaA type among the strains and the serotypes examined and (ii) that the discriminatory ability of flaA typing was much better than that of serotyping. Giving a simple and detailed description of the data analysis, we are the first who publish the bin patterns for the flaA genotypes found.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Aeginition Hospital, Athens Medical School, Vass. Sophias av. 72-74, 11528, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Anastassios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ioannidis
authors.forename: Chryssoula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicolaou
authors.forename: Nicholas J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Legakis
authors.forename: Vasiliki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ioannidou
authors.forename: Stylianos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chatzipanagiotou
mesh_terms: D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D002169:Campylobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016123:Campylobacter jejuni / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics; D030541:Databases, Genetic; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field / Q000379:methods; D005408:Flagellin / Q000235:genetics*; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D005408:Flagellin; C067138:flaA protein, bacteria