Typing of group A streptococci by random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis was evaluated in comparison with restriction endonuclease analysis (REA) of genomic DNA and serotyping in the typing of 160 epidemiologically unrelated group A streptococci (GAS). Amplification of genomic DNA of GAS was performed with a single primer with an arbitrarily selected nucleotide sequence of 12 nucleotides. In total, 31 RAPD patterns and 15 REA patterns were observed among the isolates studied. The results of RAPD analysis were in accordance with the results of REA for 86% of the isolates, as both methods identified 15 different strains among 138 isolates. However, RAPD analysis differentiated 16 additional strains among 22 isolates. RAPD analysis was somewhat better than REA for differentiation of isolates of the same and different serotypes. However, not all of the serotypes were differentiated by RAPD analysis either. In conclusion, RAPD analysis provides a practical alternative for genomic typing of GAS. It can be recommended for the typing of GAS, especially if used in parallel with serotyping.