title: Ribotyping of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi isolates from Papua New Guinea over the period 1977 to 1996.
abstract: The prevalence of typhoid in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) highlands region increased rapidly in the mid-1980s, and now remains endemic. In this study ribotyping has been used to examine the number and types of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi strains present during the 1977-1996 period. The ribotyping banding pattern results were based on Cla I and Eco RV digests. The 57 PNG isolates were divided into 11 different ribotypes. Comparison of ribotypes using coefficient of similarity values revealed a diverse group of ribotypes. Several strains appear to be endemic in PNG For instance, ribotypes 1, 2 and 3 were most commonly found among PNG isolates and isolates with these ribotypes have been cultured over a period of at least 11 years (1985-1996). Ribotype 3 was also observed in isolates from Malaysia and Thailand. Also found in PNG were ribotypes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16 and 17. The ribotyping suggests that serovar Typhi strains present in PNG include unique strains of serovar Typhi and also strains that are common to other countries.
authors.affiliation: Papua New Guinea Institute of Medical Research, Goroka, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Barry G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Combs
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Passey
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.forename: Tikki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lightfoot
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Alpers
mesh_terms: D016000:Cluster Analysis; D006801:Humans; D010219:Papua New Guinea / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D021521:Ribotyping / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012485:Salmonella typhi / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014435:Typhoid Fever / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology