Development of an optimized random amplified polymorphic DNA protocol for fingerprinting of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

AIMS

To develop an optimized random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) protocol for fingerprinting clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Employing factorial design of experiments, repeatable amplification patterns were obtained for 54 nosocomial isolates using 1 μmol 1(-1) primer, 4 mmol 1(-1) MgCl(2), 0·4 mmol 1(-1) dNTPs, 2·5 U Taq DNA polymerase and 90 ng DNA template in a total volume of 25 μl. The optimum thermocycling program was: initial denaturation at 94°C for 4 min followed by 50 cycles of 1 min at 94°C, 2 min at 34°C, 2 min at 72°C and a final extension at 72°C for 10 min. The optimized RAPD protocol was highly discriminatory (Simpson's diversity index, 0·982), and all isolates were typable with repeatable patterns (Pearson's similarity coefficient ≈ 100%). Seven main clusters were obtained on a similarity level of 70% and 32 distinct clusters on a similarity level of 85%, reflecting the heterogeneity of the isolates.

CONCLUSIONS

Systematic optimization of RAPD generated reliable DNA fingerprints for nosocomial isolates of K. pneumoniae.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

This is the first report on RAPD optimization based on factorial design of experiments for discrimination of K. pneumoniae.