Annals of Clinical Microbiology, The official Journal of the Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology
Jeong Man Kim1, Kyeong Hee Kim1, Eun Ju Song2, Sun Min Lee2, Eun Yup Lee2, Eun Hee Park3, Chulhun L. Chang2
Department of Laboratory Medicine1, Dong-A University College of Medicine; Department of Laboratory Medicine2, Pusan National University College of Medicine; and Microbiology Division3, Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment, Busan, Korea
Corresponding to Chulhun L. Chang, E-mail: cchl@pusan.ac.kr
Ann Clin Microbiol 2006;9(1):24-29.
Copyright © Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology.
Background: The frequent outbreak of legionellosis makes it critical to identify infection sources for the prevention and blockade of transmission of the disease.
Methods: Thirty-one strains of Legionella pneumophila isolated from the cooling towers of big buildings in Busan and Gyungsangnamdo Province areas, 12 strains of L. pneumophila from patients in Japan, and one type strain (L. pneumophila ATCC 33152) were used for molecular strain typing by using an infrequent-restriction-site polymerase chain reaction (IRS-PCR).
Results: Each strain revealed to have 7-16 bands of 200-1000 bp size. All 44 strains showed band patterns different from each other, except two strains sharing 90% homology.
Conclusion: The molecular typing of Legionella by IRS-PCR is an excellent and rapid method for discriminating strains; therefore, it should be useful in demonstrating the identity of possible outbreak strains. (Korean J Clin Microbiol 2006;9(1):24-29)
Legionella pneumophila, Infrequent-restriction-site polymerase chain reaction, Molecular strain typing