METHOD FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF MICROORGANISMS BY THE UTILIZATION OF DIRECTED AND ARBITRARY DNA AMPLIFICATION

摘要

A method for the identification of microorganisms is disclosed, comprising first isolating genomic DNA from the suspect microorganism. The isolated DNA has variable sequences interspersed between highly conserved rDNA sequences. The variable sequences are amplified. The amplification reaction is carried out in such manner as to either amplify the variable sequences interspersed between highly conserved rDNA sequences or to amplify arbitrary genomic regions in conjunction with the variable sequences. The resulting amplified DNA fragments are polymorphic with respect to both size and number in a manner which is specific to species, serotype and strain. The distribution of the polymorphic fragments is analyzed and compared to an established database to determine the species, serotype and strain of the suspect microorganism.