Identification of Escherichia coli flagellar types by restriction of the amplified fliC gene

Res Microbiol. 2000 Sep;151(7):535-46. doi: 10.1016/s0923-2508(00)00223-0.

Abstract

A total of 182 strains of Escherichia coli (133 reference strains, 22 clinical strains, nine nonmotile strains and 18 strains derived from K-12) were characterized by HhaI restriction of the amplified flagellin gene (fliC). The amplified fliC product was a single band between 0.9 and 2.6 kbp. With the collection of reference strains which represented 48 flagellar types (H-types), a total of 62 patterns (F-types) were observed after HhaI restriction. A single F-type was associated with each of 39 H-types and more than one F-type was associated with the other nine H-types. Antigenically related H-types 12 and 45 gave a single F-type. The determination of HhaI-fliC F-types could allow deduction of all H-types and subdivision of some of these. Application of this identification system to 22 E. coli clinical isolates yielded nine F-patterns and the deduced H-types were confirmed by serotyping in all cases. Nine nonmotile strains were studied and their F-types were also identified. The proposed determination of fliC restriction patterns should be helpful for epidemiological studies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Typing Techniques*
  • Escherichia coli / classification*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics*
  • Escherichia coli / isolation & purification
  • Escherichia coli Infections / microbiology
  • Flagellin / genetics*
  • Gene Amplification
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Humans
  • Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length*
  • Serotyping

Substances

  • Flagellin