Regulation of Escherichia coli K5 capsular polysaccharide expression: Evidence for involvement of RfaH in the expression of group II capsules

Abstract We developed a quick typing method for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato strains using a fla gene-based PCR assay, followed by dot blot hybridization with non-radioactive species-specific probes. Thirty-six out of 46 strains belonged to one of the four described species ( B. burgdorferi sensu stricto n = 11, B. garinii n = 11, B. afzelii n = 9 and B. japonica n = 5) and hybridized with its own species-specific probe. Among the 10 remaining American strains, two new additional genomic groups were identified. This finding was confirmed by direct sequenching of the fla gene-derived amplicons and whole DNA hybridization.