PCR-amplified length polymorphisms in tRNA intergenic spacers for categorizing staphylococci

The intergenic spacers between some adjacent tRNA genes were shown to be polymorphic in length when closely related Staphylococcus species were compared. A simple procedure was developed to detect and sequence these tRNA intergenic length polymorphisms (tRNA-ILPs). A comparison of homologous tRNA gene sequences flanking these ILPs in three Staphylococcus species was used to derive primers for high-stringency amplification of the ILPs by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The detection of tRNA-ILPs by PCR allowed the classification of virtually all strains from the five species of Staphylococcus that were examined. The procedure used to identify, sequence and derive primers for PCR detection of tRNA-ILPs in Staphylococcus should be applicable to many other genera of eubacteria. These primers could be used on uncultured material such as clinical samples.