A RAPD-PCR method for large-scale typing of Bacillus cereus.

A robust RAPD-PCR procedure for large-scale typing of Bacillus cereus was developed. It is based on a simple DNA preparation, involving only freezing and boiling of cells in water with active carbon. By using a computerized system for data collection and processing, an efficient system for handling RAPD patterns for large-scale investigations was achieved. The procedure was highly discriminatory for Bacillus cereus strains and was found to give reproducible classification of RAPD fingerprints for five reference strains.