Evaluation of BOX-PCR and ERIC-PCR as Molecular Typing Tools for PathogenicLeptospira
Open Access
- 1 August 2018
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Hindawi Limited in Disease Markers
- Vol. 2018, 1-9
- https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/1351634
Abstract
In the last decades, leptospirosis had gained public health concern due to morbidity and mortality rates caused by pathogenic Leptospira. The need for rapid and robust molecular typing methods to differentiate this zoonotic pathogen is of utmost importance. Various studies had been conducted to determine the genetic relatedness of Leptospira isolates using molecular typing methods. In this study, 29 pathogenic Leptospira isolates from rat, soil, and water samples in Sarawak, Malaysia, were characterized using BOX-PCR and ERIC-PCR. The effectiveness of these two methods with regard to the ease of interpretation, reproducibility, typeability, and discriminatory power was also being evaluated. Using BOX-PCR, six clusters and 3 single isolates were defined at a genetic distance percentage of 11.2%. ERIC-PCR clustered the isolates into 6 clusters and 2 single isolates at a genetic distance percentage of 6.8%. Both BOX-PCR and ERIC-PCR produced comparable results though the discriminatory index for ERIC-PCR (0.826) was higher than that for BOX-PCR (0.809). From the constructed dendrogram, it could be summarized that the isolates in this study were highly heterogeneous and genetically diverse. The findings from this study indicated that there is no genetic relatedness among the pathogenic Leptospira isolates in relation to the locality, source, and identity, with some exceptions. Out of the 29 pathogenic Leptospira isolates studied, BOX-PCR and ERIC-PCR successfully discriminated 4 isolates (2 isolates each) into the same cluster in relation to sample sources, as well as 2 isolates into the same cluster in association with the sample locality. Future studies shall incorporate the use of other molecular typing methods to make a more thorough comparison on the genetic relatedness of pathogenic Leptospira.Keywords
Funding Information
- Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (FRGS/SG03(01)/970/2013(11), F07(DPP21)/1191/2014(21))
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- Development of an ERIC sequence typing scheme for Laribacter hongkongensis, an emerging pathogen associated with community-acquired gastroenteritis and travellers’ diarrhoeaJournal of Medical Microbiology, 2013
- Facilitated Molecular Typing of Shigella Isolates Using ERIC-PCRThe American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 2012
- PyElph - a software tool for gel images analysis and phylogeneticsBMC Bioinformatics, 2012
- Use of REP- and ERIC-PCR to reveal genetic heterogeneity of Vibrio cholerae from edible ice in Jakarta, IndonesiaGut Pathogens, 2012
- Application and Validation of PFGE for Serovar Identification of Leptospira Clinical IsolatesPLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2010
- Comparison and Utilization of Repetitive-Element PCR Techniques for Typing Lactobacillus Isolates from the Chicken Gastrointestinal TractApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2009
- Laboratory Methods for Diagnosing Leptospirosis: A ReviewBangladesh Journal of Medical Microbiology, 2009
- BOX-PCR-based identification of bacterial species belonging to Pseudomonas syringae: P. viridiflava groupGenetics and Molecular Biology, 2008
- Genotypic characterization of Enterobacter sakazakii isolates by PFGE, BOX-PCR and sequencing of the fliC geneJournal of Applied Microbiology, 2007
- Comparative Assessment of Genotyping Methods for Epidemiologic Study of Burkholderia cepacia Genomovar IIIJournal of Clinical Microbiology, 2002