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An oligonucleotide-microarray method was developed for the detection of intestinal bacteria in fecal samples collected from human subjects. The 16S rDNA sequences of 20 predominant human intestinal bacterial species were used to design oligonucleotide probes. Three 40-mer oligonucleotides specific for each bacterial species (total 60 probes) were synthesized and applied to glass slides. Cyanine5 (CY5)-labeled 16S rDNAs were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from human fecal samples or bacterial DNA using two universal primers and were hybridized to the oligo-microarray. The 20 intestinal bacterial species tested were Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides vulgatus, Bacteroides fragilis, Bacteroides distasonis, Clostridium clostridiiforme, Clostridium leptum, Fusobacterium prausnitzii, Peptostreptococcus productus, Ruminococcus obeum, Ruminococcus bromii, Ruminococcus callidus, Ruminococcus albus, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Bifidobacterium infantis, Eubacterium biforme, Eubacterium aerofaciens, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus faecium. The two universal primers were able to amplify full size 16S rDNA from all of the 20 bacterial species tested. The hybridization results indicated that the oligo-microarray method developed in this study is a reliable method for the detection of predominant human intestinal bacteria in the fecal samples. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Outbreaks of Vibrio parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis in the United States (Texas, New York and Pacific Northwest) in 1997–98 emphasized the need to develop molecular methods for identification and differentiation of these organisms. When outbreak isolates were analyzed for the enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequences, the Texas and New York outbreak isolates had a specific 850-bp DNA fragment that was absent in Pacific Northwest isolates. The 850-bp polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product was found in isolates of serovar O3:K6, which have an unusual potential to spread and cause infections. To develop a specific molecular detection method for serovar O3:K6, the nucleotide sequence of the 850-bp product was determined. The GenBank blast analysis did not show homology with any known Vibrio spp. gene sequences. Two PCR primers were designed to specifically amplify the unique sequences from serovar O3:K6 isolates. Genomic DNA from 10 Texas, eight New York, and seven Pacific Northwest outbreak isolates of V. parahaemolyticus was assayed by PCR. Texas and New York isolates were positive in the PCR assay, giving a 327-bp PCR product as predicted; however, Pacific Northwest isolates were negative, indicating the absence of the target gene. Texas and New York isolates were all serovar O3:K6; the Pacific Northwest isolates were not. The primers were tested with other Vibrio spp. and other closely related species and no amplification of the 327-bp PCR product was found. The PCR method can be used to specifically identify O3:K6 V. parahaemolyticus isolates in less than 6 h. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]