Species-specific detection of Legionella using polymerase chain reaction and reverse dot-blotting |
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| Authors: | Peter N Robinson Björn Heidrich Frank Tiecke Franz J Fehrenbach Arndt Rolfs |
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| Institution: | Neurochemistry Research Laboratory, Klinikum Benjamin-Franklin der Freien Universität Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany; Department of Gastroenterology, Klinikum Benjamin-Franklin der Freien Universität Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany; Department of Microbiology, Robert Koch-Institut, Nordufer 20, 13353 Berlin, Germany; Department of Neurology, Universität Rostock, Gehlsheimerstr. 20, 18055 Rostock, Germany |
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| Abstract: | Abstract Legionella pneumophila and some other Legionella species are capable of causing Legionnaire's disease, a potentially fatal pneumonia. The identification of legionellae by standard laboratory techniques such as culture is difficult and time-consuming. In the present work, the DNA sequence of the 23S-5S spacer region was determined for 43 Legionella isolates, and the sequence information was used to develop a species-specific detection system using PCR and reverse dot-blotting which employs just one PCR amplicon to perform genus- and species-specific detection. L. pneumophila serogroups 1–16 as well as 21 non- pneumophila isolates could be identified and differentiated at the species level using this system. |
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| Keywords: | Legionella Polymerase chain reaction Reverse dot-blotting Spacer region Ribosomal RNA |
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