Design of a PCR test based on the gyrA gene sequence for the identification of closely related species of the Bacillus subtilis group

A method for the taxonomic identification of seven closely related bacterial species of the Bacillus subtilis group (B. subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. licheniformis, B. vallismortis, B. atrophaeus, B. sonorensis, and B. mojavensis) using specific primers selected on the basis of the gyrA gene sequences was developed. The effectiveness of this method both for the identification of pure cultures of type strains of this group and for the precise species identification of collection and industrial bacterial strains was demonstrated. The principal possibility of using this method for detecting B. subtilis group bacteria in mixed cultures was shown.