PCR differentiation of Escherichia coli from other gram-negative bacteria using primers derived from the nucleotide sequences flanking the gene encoding the universal stress protein.

A PCR-based test was developed to differentiate Escherichia coli from other Gram-negative bacteria. The assay employed primers derived from the nucleotide sequences flanking the gene encoding the universal stress protein (uspA) and was found to be highly specific for E. coli. An 884 base pair (bp) specific product was amplified from all of the E. coli tested (n = 45), whereas no amplification was associated with non-E. coli Gram-negative bacteria (n = 11).