一株高效降解芘的细菌分离、鉴定及其降解效果

摘要：【目的】获得高效降解高分子量多环芳烃的细菌,并研究其对多环芳烃的降解能力。【方法】利用富集培养和芘升华平板方法,从焦化厂污染土壤中分离多环芳烃降解细菌,对分离菌株通过形态特征、16S rRNA基因和gyrb基因序列相似性分析进行鉴定,并研究该菌对高分子量多环芳烃（HMW-PAHs）的降解效果。【结果】筛选到一株能以芘、苯并蒽、屈、苯并芘、茚并芘、苯并苝、荧恩为碳源和能源生长并降解这些底物的菌株HBS1,该菌株的16S rRNA基因和gyrb基因序列与Gordonia amicalis的相应基因的相似     

高分子量多环芳烃降解菌筛选及在土壤电动-生物修复中应用

采用富集培养和多环芳烃双加氧酶基因检测方法,从焦化场地多环芳烃污染土壤分离筛选出9株PAHs降解菌。以高分子量多环芳烃芘为唯一碳源进行摇瓶降解实验,结果表明,J6、S5、S4、S2和B4对芘具有较好的降解能力,21 d时芘降解率均达55%以上,其中B4处理芘的降解率最高,达到70.2%。进一步研究了该5株菌及其混合菌对土壤中芘的降解效果,发现混合菌的降解效果高于单菌的降解效果,其中混合菌H4和单菌B4的降解效果较好,49 d时混合菌H4和单菌B4处理土壤中芘的降解率达29.3%和18.3%。经过16S rRNA基因序列比对,鉴定J6菌株为赤红球菌(Rhodococcus ruber),S5为芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus sp.),S4和S2是鞘脂单胞菌属(Sphingopyxis sp.),B4为假单胞菌属(Pseudomonas sp.)。在电场条件下,混合菌H4和单菌B4处理微生物数量及活性均显著提高,芘的降解率较单独H4和B4处理提高33.0%和20.1%,说明筛选出的5株高分子量多环芳烃降解菌具有较强的电场适应能力,可在高分子量多环芳烃污染土壤电动-微生物修复中应用。     

3株多环芳烃高效降解菌株的分离鉴定及降解特性

筛选分离降解多环芳烃(PAHs)的优势菌种对开展多环芳烃污染生态系统修复具有重要的现实意义。本研究以焦化厂周围受多环芳烃污染的土壤为菌源,经过富集培养驯化和平板分离,获得11株能降解多环芳烃的菌株。通过形态观察、生理生化特征及16S rRNA序列比对对菌株进行鉴定,筛选出3株PAHs高效降解菌,分别命名为DJ-3、DJ-8、DJ-10。经16S rRNA序列分析鉴定,DJ-3为假单胞菌属、DJ-8为克雷伯氏菌属、DJ-10为芽孢杆菌属。对菌株降解能力的研究表明,3株菌(DJ-3、DJ-8、DJ-10)培养7 d后对混合多环芳烃中菲(200 mg·L^-1)、芘(200 mg·L^-1)和萘(160 mg·L^-1)的降解率分别为48.9%～65.9%、38.9%～43.1%和57.6%～64.9%。3株菌对多环芳烃混合样品(1200 mg·L^-1)的降解率分别为49.1%、44.5%、53.9%,远高于其他8株筛选菌,为PAHs高效降解菌株。3种菌株两两之间和三者组合均无拮抗关系。研究结果将为构建高效的多环芳烃降解菌群、提高多环芳烃原位污染土壤的生物修复效果奠定基础。     

阿特拉津降解菌株DNS32的降解特性及分类鉴定与降解途径研究

【目的】研究阿特拉津降解菌株DNS32的菌种分类、降解特性及降解途径,丰富阿特拉津降解菌菌种资源。【方法】在长期施用阿特拉津的东北地区寒地黑土中筛选出一株以阿特拉津为唯一氮源生长的降解菌株DNS32,测定其基本降解特性,通过16S rRNA序列分析进行分类鉴定,并利用阿特拉津降解基因PCR扩增技术及降解产物生成量的测定,进一步揭示其降解途径。【结果】实验结果发现DNS32菌株具有较好的降解能力,且在相对较低温度下也具有一定的降解能力。16S rRNA序列分析结果表明DNS32与鲁氏不动杆菌(Acinetobacter lwoffii)16S rRNA序列同源性高达99%。成功地扩增降解基因trzN、atzB及atzC,实验结果表明DNS32遵循Arthrobacter aurescens TC1的降解模式,可将阿特拉津降解为氰尿酸,降解产物的生成量测定也证明了这一点。【结论】实验结果丰富了阿特拉津降解菌菌种资源,为不动杆菌属的阿特拉津降解菌研究提供了参考。     

多环芳烃降解菌的筛选、鉴定及降解特性

【目的】多环芳烃(PAHs)是一类普遍存在于环境中且具有高毒性的持久性有机污染物,高效降解菌的筛选对利用生物修复技术有效去除环境中的多环芳烃具有重要意义。研究拟从供试菌株中筛选多环芳烃高效降解菌,并分析其降解特性,为多环芳烃污染环境的微生物修复提供资源保障和科学依据。【方法】采用平板法从25株供试菌株中筛选出以菲和芘为唯一碳源和能源的高效降解菌,经16S rRNA基因序列进行初步鉴定,通过单因素实验法分析其在液体培养基中的降解特性。【结果】筛选出的3株多环芳烃高效降解菌SL-1、02173和02830经16S rRNA基因序列分析,02173和02830分别与假单胞菌属中的Pseudomonas alcaliphila和Pseudomonas corrugate同源性最近,SL-1为本课题组发表新类群Rhizobium petrolearium的模式菌株;降解实验表明,菌株SL-1 3 d内对单一多环芳烃菲(100 mg/L)和芘(50 mg/L)的降解率分别达到100%和48%,5 d后能够降解74%的芘;而其3 d内对混合PAHs中菲和芘的降解率分别为75.89%和81.98%。菌株02173和02830 3 d内对混合多环芳烃中萘(200 mg/L)、芴(50 mg/L)、菲(100 mg/L)和芘(50 mg/L)的降解率均分别超过97%。【结论】筛选出的3株PAHs降解菌SL-1、02173和02830不仅可以高效降解低分子量PAHs,还对高分子量PAHs具有很好的降解潜力。研究表明,由于共代谢作用低分子量多环芳烃可促进高分子量多环芳烃的降解,而此时低分子量多环芳烃的降解将受到抑制。     

一株来自大西洋表层海水的烷烃降解菌Gordonia sp. S14-10的分离鉴定及其降解相关特性的分析

摘要：【目的】本研究的目的是从大西洋表层海水分离筛选新的烷烃降解菌,了解其降解基因及降解特性,为海洋石油污染的生物治理提供材料。【方法】以柴油与原油作为混合碳源从大西洋表层海水样品中富集、并分离筛选出降解能力较强的烷烃降解菌。根据16S rRNA基因和其看家基因secA1序列确定其系统进化地位。分析了烷烃降解范围、表面活性剂产生能力及其他生理生化特性;利用已报道的兼并引物进行了烷烃羟化酶基因的PCR扩增及系统进化分析。【结果】分离筛选得到1株能够降解C10?C36直链烷烃的菌株S14-10。经16S rR     

一株甲醛降解菌的筛选及降解特性的研究

【目的】以甲醛为唯一碳源与能源,以期从印染厂采集的活性污泥中筛选出快速降解甲醛的菌株。【方法】采用传统微生物纯培养方法和形态学特征、生理生化试验,结合16S rRNA基因序列分析以及甲醛关键脱氢酶(FDH)对筛选的菌株W1进行系统研究,并利用正交设计法研究不同因素处理对菌株W1降解甲醛特性的影响。【结果】分类结果显示鉴定菌株W1属于恶臭假单胞菌(Pseudomonas putida),通过单因素试验和正交试验考察培养条件对菌株降解甲醛的影响,得出菌株W1降解甲醛的最适条件为:甲醛浓度为500 mg/L,温度30°C,pH 6.0,摇床转速为200 r/min,接种量为3%。【结论】在最适条件下菌株W1具有较强的降解甲醛能力,在24 h其甲醛降解率达98%。     

一株阿维菌素降解菌AW1-18的筛选与分类鉴定

利用富集培养法从长期施用阿维菌素农药的菜豆土壤中分离出18株能利用阿维菌素为唯一碳源和氮源生长的细菌.采用紫外分光光度法对菌株的阿维菌素降解能力进行测定,结果有4株菌有较好的降解率,其中降解率最好的菌株命名为AW1-18.通过高效液相色谱法对AW1-18的降解能力进行测定,结果表明,当接种量为2.5％时,该菌株在含100 mg/L的阿维菌素无机盐基础培养液中,30℃,150 r/min,pH7的条件下培养6d后,对阿维菌素的降解率达75％以上.用16S rRNA通用引物,经PCR扩增、测序得到AW1-18的16S rRNA序列(GenBank登录号为JQ316540),在NCBI中通过BLAST后发现与不动杆菌属(Acinetobacter)的16S rRNA序列相似性达到99％,结合形态特征和生理生化特性分析结果,确定菌株AW1-18为Acinetobacter tandoii.     

代表性差异分析比较两株来自不同地区的猪源Lactobacillus菌株

[目的]对分离自猪肠道的乳酸杆菌S1菌株进行鉴定,并比较该菌株与同种的001T菌株的基因差异.[方法]对S1菌株进行16S rRNA基因序列分析和种特异PCR检测,并且对S1菌株和Lactobacillus sobrius 001T进行代表性差异分析(Representational difference analysis,RDA).[结果]16S rRNA基因序列分析表明,与S1菌株最相似的已知菌为L.sobrius.变性梯度凝胶电泳分析显示,仔猪空、回肠细菌图谱中有一与S1菌株有相同迁移位置的优势条带,克隆、测序鉴定表明,与该条带相匹配的16S rRNA基因克隆(Clone S)的最相似已知菌也为L.sobrius.16S rRNA基因系统进化分析表明,S1菌株与Clone S和L.sobrius 16S rRNA基因序列同源性分别为99.8%和99.6%.L.sobrius特异性引物也可以扩增S1株菌的16S rRNA基因的特定片段.因此S1菌株可被确定为Lsobrius.RDA对菌株S1和同种的猪源L.sobrius 001T菌株的基因差异进行分析,未发现这两株菌的基因组差异.[结论]猪肠道乳杆酸菌S1菌株属于L.sobrius,其与猪源L sobrius 001T菌株为相似菌株.     

大连湾原油降解菌的分离和多样性分析

[目的]研究大连湾原油污染海域可培养原油降解菌的多样性,并获得新的原油降解菌.[方法]通过大连湾海水、海泥和海绵样品采集,以原油作为唯一碳源,培养、富集、分离筛选原油降解菌,根据16S rRNA基因序列确定其系统进化地位.[结果]通过形态观察和16S rRNA基因分析,共获得22个属的50株菌.其中,有6株菌的16S rRNA序列与最相近的菌株序列一致性仅为95％-97％,可能是潜在的新菌.单菌实验表明,45株菌具有石油降解能力.[结论]揭示了大连湾可培养原油降解菌的多样性,并获得了新的原油降解菌,为海洋石油污染的生物治理提供新资源.     

16S rRNA gene-based detection of tetrachloroethene-dechlorinating Desulfuromonas and Dehalococcoides species

Members of the genera Desulfuromonas and Dehalococcoides reductively dechlorinate tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene. Two primer pairs specific to hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA genes of the Dehalococcoides group (comprising Dehalococcoides ethenogenes and Dehalococcoides sp. strain FL2) and the acetate-oxidizing, PCE-dechlorinating Desulfuromonas group (comprising Desulfuromonas sp. strain BB1 and Desulfuromonas chloroethenica) were designed. The detection threshold of a nested PCR approach using universal bacterial primers followed by a second PCR with the Desulfuromonas dechlorinator-targeted primer pair was 1 x 10(3) BB1 cells added per gram (wet weight) of sandy aquifer material. Total community DNA isolated from sediments of three Michigan rivers and six different chloroethene-contaminated aquifer samples was used as template in nested PCR. All river sediment samples yielded positive signals with the BB1- and the Dehalococcoides-targeted primers. One chloroethene-contaminated aquifer tested positive with the Dehalococcoides-targeted primers, and another contaminated aquifer tested positive with the Desulfuromonas dechlorinator-targeted primer pair. Restriction fragment analysis of the amplicons could discriminate strain BB1 from other known Desulfuromonas species. Microcosm studies confirmed the presence of PCE-dechlorinating, acetate-oxidizing Desulfuromonas and hydrogenotrophic Dehalococcoides species in samples yielding positive PCR signals with the specific primers.     

Development and application of a real-time PCR approach for quantification of uncultured bacteria in the central Baltic Sea

We have developed a highly sensitive approach to assess the abundance of uncultured bacteria in water samples from the central Baltic Sea by using a noncultured member of the "Epsilonproteobacteria" related to Thiomicrospira denitrificans as an example. Environmental seawater samples and samples enriched for the target taxon provided a unique opportunity to test the approach over a broad range of abundances. The approach is based on a combination of taxon- and domain-specific real-time PCR measurements determining the relative T. denitrificans-like 16S rRNA gene and 16S rRNA abundances, as well as the determination of total cell counts and environmental RNA content. It allowed quantification of T. denitrificans-like 16S rRNA molecules or 16S rRNA genes as well as calculation of the number of ribosomes per T. denitrificans-like cell. Every real-time measurement and its specific primer system were calibrated using environmental nucleic acids obtained from the original habitat for external standardization. These standards, as well as the respective samples to be measured, were prepared from the same DNA or RNA extract. Enrichment samples could be analyzed directly, whereas environmental templates had to be preamplified with general bacterial primers before quantification. Preamplification increased the sensitivity of the assay by more than 4 orders of magnitude. Quantification of enrichments with or without a preamplification step yielded comparable results. T. denitrificans-like 16S rRNA molecules ranged from 7.1 x 10(3) to 4.4 x 10(9) copies ml(-1) or 0.002 to 49.7% relative abundance. T. denitrificans-like 16S rRNA genes ranged from 9.0 x 10(1) to 2.2 x10(6) copies ml(-1) or 0.01 to 49.7% relative abundance. Detection limits of this real-time-PCR approach were 20 16S rRNA molecules or 0.2 16S rRNA gene ml(-1). The number of ribosomes per T. denitrificans-like cell was estimated to range from 20 to 200 in seawater and reached up to 2,000 in the enrichments. The results indicate that our real-time PCR approach can be used to determine cellular and relative abundances of uncultured marine bacterial taxa and to provide information about their levels of activity in their natural environment.     

Investigation of the methanogen population structure and activity in a brackish lake sediment

The methanogen community in sediment from the edge of a small brackish lake connected to the Beaulieu Estuary (Hampshire, UK) was investigated by analysis of 16S rRNA gene diversity using new methanogen-specific primers plus Archaea-specific primers. 16S rRNA gene primers previously used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of methanogenic Archaea from a variety of environments were evaluated by in silico testing. The primers displayed variable coverage of the four main orders of methanogens, highlighting the importance of this type of primer evaluation. Three PCR primer sets were designed using novel reverse primers to facilitate specific amplification of the orders Methanomicrobiales/Methanosarcinales, Methanobacteriales and Methanococcales. Diversity of the methanogen functional gene, methyl coenzyme M reductase (mcrA), was also studied. All gene libraries constructed from this sediment indicated that Methanomicrobiales and Methanosarcinales were the only methanogens detected. There was good agreement between the relative sequence abundances in the methanogen-specific 16S rRNA gene library and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) profiling, suggesting that the population was dominated by putative H2 CO2 utilizing Methanomicrobiales, although acetate-utilizing methanogens were also present. The methanogen population analyses were in agreement with methanogenic activity measurements, which indicated that bicarbonate methanogenesis was higher than acetate methanogenesis at all depths measured and overall there was a significant difference (P = 0.001) between the rates of the two pathways. This study demonstrates the utility of new 16S rRNA gene PCR primers targeting specific methanogenic orders, and the combined results suggest that the CO2 reduction pathway dominates methanogenesis in the brackish sediment investigated.     

Detection and quantification of Geobacter lovleyi strain SZ: implications for bioremediation at tetrachloroethene- and uranium-impacted sites

Geobacter lovleyi strain SZ reduces hexavalent uranium, U(VI), to U(IV) and is the first member of the metal-reducing Geobacter group capable of using tetrachloroethene (PCE) as a growth-supporting electron acceptor. Direct and nested PCR with specific 16S rRNA gene-targeted primer pairs distinguished strain SZ from other known chlorinated ethene-dechlorinating bacteria and closely related Geobacter isolates, including its closest cultured relative, G. thiogenes. Detection limits for direct and nested PCR were approximately 1 x 10(6) and 1 x 10(4) 16S rRNA gene copies per mul of template DNA, respectively. A quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) approach increased the sensitivity to as few as 30 16S rRNA gene copies per mul of template DNA but was less specific. Melting curve analysis and comparison of the shapes of amplification plots identified false-positive signals and distinguished strain SZ from G. thiogenes when analyzed separately. These indicators were less reliable when target (strain SZ) DNA and nontarget (G. thiogenes) DNA with high sequence similarity were mixed, indicating that the development of qPCR protocols should not only evaluate specificity but also explore the effects of nontarget DNA on the accuracy of quantification. Application of specific tools detected strain SZ-like amplicons in PCE-dechlorinating consortia, including the bioaugmentation consortium KB-1, and two chlorinated ethene-impacted groundwater samples. Strain SZ-like amplicons were also detected in 13 of 22 groundwater samples following biostimulation at the uranium- and chlorinated solvent-contaminated Integrated Field-Scale Subsurface Research Challenge (IFC) site in Oak Ridge, TN. The numbers of strain SZ-like cells increased from below detection to 2.3 x 10(7) +/- 0.1 x 10(7) per liter groundwater, suggesting that strain SZ-like organisms contribute to contaminant transformation. The G. lovleyi strain SZ-specific tools will be useful for monitoring bioremediation efforts at uranium- and/or chlorinated solvent-impacted sites such as the Oak Ridge IFC site.     

Diversity and geographical distribution of members of the Streptomyces violaceusniger 16S rRNA gene clade detected by clade-specific PCR primers

The Streptomyces violaceusniger 16S rRNA gene clade contains organisms that are of ecological interest and a rich source of novel bioactive metabolites. Improvements in the classification of members of the S. violaceusniger clade made it possible to design, evaluate and use an oligonucleotide primer set to gain an insight into the presence, distribution and taxonomic diversity of members of this taxon in environmental samples. In silico testing showed that the primers had a perfect match with representatives of the S. violaceusniger clade. The primers, designated S-S-Svio-66-a-S-20 and S-S-Svio-1274-a-A-20, amplified an approximately 1190-bp stretch of 16S rRNA gene from authenticated members of the S. violaceusniger clade, but not from representatives of other actinomycete taxa. Following amplification of DNA extracted from sediment and soil samples, the sequences of cloned PCR products confirmed the specific amplification of target sequences in 87% of the clones; the use of 16S rRNA gene fragment similarity correlations indicated that the clones represented new species. The primers can be used to facilitate the isolation of novel members of the S. violaceusniger 16S rRNA gene clade by allowing prescreening of environmental samples and the subsequent detection and retrieval of targetted strains through the use of selective isolation procedures.     

PCR detection and 16S rRNA sequence-based phylogeny of a novel Propionibacterium acidipropionici applicable for enhanced fermentation of high moisture corn

AIMS: The aims of this study were to develop a sensitive and more rapid detection of Propionibacterium acidipropionici DH42 in silage and rumen fluid samples, and to explore its 16S rRNA sequence-based phylogeny. METHODS AND RESULTS: Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used with DH42-specific primers dhb1 and dhb2 for the secondary amplification of a 1267-bp fragment of 16S rRNA encoding gene. Using the established protocols for PCR amplification, as low as 10(2) and 10(3) CFU ml(-1) of strain DH42 in silage extracts and rumen fluid, respectively, were detected. To determine phylogenetic relationships between DH42 and other representatives of Propionibacterineae, a 1529-bp fragment of its 16S rRNA was amplified by PCR and sequenced. The propionibacterium DH42 formed a cluster with Eubacterium combesii, P. acidipropionici and P. microaerophilus. CONCLUSIONS: 16S rRNA-based PCR detection technique was developed for DH42 in silage and rumen fluid samples. The 16S rRNA sequence confirmed the earlier identification of strain DH42 as P. acidipropionici. However, variable nucleotide positions were revealed. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Variability of 16S rRNA sequence within the species P. acidipropionici, determined in this study, poses the need of re-sequencing for some species of the suborder Propionibacterineae for a more reliable classification.     

Endophytic Fusarium verticillioides reduces disease severity caused by Ustilago maydis on maize

Uncultured archaeal anaerobic methanotrophs (ANMEs) are known to operate the anaerobic oxidation of methane process, an important sink for the greenhouse gas methane in natural environments. In this study, we designed 16S rRNA gene-specific primers for each of the phylogenetic groups of ANMEs (ANME-1, Guaymas Basin hydrothermal sediment clones group within the ANME-1, ANME-2a, ANME-2b, ANME-2c and ANME-3) based on previously reported sequences. The newly designed primers were used for the detection of the various groups of ANMEs in the sulphate-limited anaerobic environmental samples, i.e. methanogenic sludges, rice field soils, lotus field sediments and natural gas fields. The ANME 16S rRNA gene sequences were detected only in a natural gas field sample among the environments examined in this study and were of the ANME-1 and -2c groups. In addition, the quantitative real-time PCR analysis using the designed primers showed that abundances of ANME-1 and -2c were estimated to be <0.02% of the total prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene community. The newly designed ANME group-specific primers in this study may be useful to survey the distribution and quantitative determination of ANMEs.     

Detection of Babesia caballi in Amblyomma variegatum ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) collected from cattle in the Republic of Guinea

A reverse line blot hybridisation (RLB) assay was applied to screen Amblyomma variegatum adult ticks (n = 504) collected from N'Dama cattle in the Republic of Guinea. In a PCR, the V1 hypervariable region of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene was amplified with a set of primers unique for species of the genera Anaplasma and Ehrlichia, and the V4 hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene was amplified with primers specific for members of the genera Theileria and Babesia. Amplified PCR products from A. variegatum ticks were hybridised onto a membrane, to which oligonucleotide probes species-specific for Ehrlichia/Anaplasma and Theileria/Babesia parasites were covalently linked. No pathogens belonging to Ehrlichia/Anaplasma species were found, while 10 DNA samples resulted positive for Babesia caballi and 5 samples for Theileria velifera. This is the first report of B. caballi in A. variegatum ticks. One of the B. caballi positive samples was sequenced. This new strain (BcabGuinea) showed a 97% similarity to the Z15104 B. caballi GenBank sequence.     

Diversity of methanogenic archaea in a mangrove sediment and isolation of a new Methanococcoides strain

Mangrove forest sediments produce significant amounts of methane, but the diversity of methanogenic archaea is not well known at present. Therefore, 16S rRNA gene libraries were made using archaea-specific primers and DNA extracted directly from Tanzanian mangrove sediment samples as a template. Analysis of sequence data showed phylotypes closely related to cultivated methylotrophic methanogenic archaea from the marine environment, or distantly related to acetoclastic and hydrogenotrophic methanogenic archaea. In an attempt to isolate relevant methanogenic archaea, we succeeded in obtaining a new mesophilic methylotrophic methanogenic archaeon (strain MM1) capable of utilizing methanol and methylated amines as the only substrates. Under optimum conditions, the cells of strain MM1 exhibited a high specific growth rate (μ) of 0.21±0.03 (i.e. doubling time of 3.2 h) on both methanol and trimethylamine. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of strain MM1 clustered with five environmental clones, indicating that MM1 is an important methanogenic methylotroph in mangrove sediments. Based on physiological and phylogenetic analyses, strain MM1 is proposed to be included in the species of Methanococcoides methylutens .     

Nested PCR for detection of mutans streptococci in dental plaque

AIMS: Mutans streptococci such as Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus have been implicated in human dental caries. In an attempt to develop a rapid and sensitive method for detecting Strep. mutans and Strep. sobrinus in dental plaque, a nested PCR amplification based on the 16S rRNA gene was employed. METHODS AND RESULTS: A universal set of PCR primers for bacterial 16S rRNA gene was introduced for the first PCR, and then two sets of primers specific for the 16S rRNA gene sequences of either Strep. mutans or Strep. sobrinus were used for the second PCR. Eighteen plaque samples were analyzed, and a nested PCR was shown to be more sensitive for detecting Strep. mutans and Strep. sobrinus than direct PCR. CONCLUSIONS, SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The 16S rRNA gene-based nested PCR method is a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of mutans streptococci, and may also be suitable for carrying out large-scale studies on the cariogenicity of mutans streptococci.