Rapid amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) identification of Lactobacillus spp. isolated from fecal and vaginal samples.

Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) was used to identify different species of Lactobacillus isolated from human faeces and vagina. PCR-ARDRA was performed using a set of four restriction enzymes, able to differentiate fourteen species of Lactobacillus. The PCR-ARDRA procedure described in this paper was shown to be a reliable and rapid method for identifying Lactobacillus species from intestinal and vaginal microflora at species and subspecies level.