Macro-fingerprinting analysis at the chromosomal genomic DNA level of isolates of thermophilic Campylobacter coli and C. jejuni, by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

Chromosomal genomic DNA from 25 strains of thermophilic Campylobacter coli and C. jejuni were analysed after pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of restriction fragments generated by SalI and SmaI to evaluate the utility of macro-fingerprinting analysis and to assess the possible subtyping of the isolates. Two rare-cutting restriction enzymes, SalI and SmaI, allowed the subclassification of eight strains of C. coli into six types. SalI facilitated the subclassification of seventeen strains of C. jejuni into thirteen types and SmaI the subclassification of seventeen strains into twelve types. The diversity in the PFGE profiles was demonstrated and, therefore, the two enzymes were found to be potentially useful for detecting variability of PFGE profiles among strains of C. coli and C. jejuni. The two enzymes and PFGE may be useful in molecular epidemiology.