To investigate the DNA sequence polymorphism of Chlamydia trachomatis omp1 gene, urogenital samples were collected from 4 different cities in South China, DNA was extracted, and an approximately 980-bp-long fragment of the omp1 gene was amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction (nPCR). DNA sequence was determined, genotyping was performed by BLAST similarity search, and multiple alignment was performed with CLUSTAL X. Then a phylogenetic tree was constructed by Mega 3 software to illustrate the evolutionary relationships between clinical isolates and reference strains. Ninety-six specimens were sequenced, and 28 genetic variants were detected, among which E was the most prevalent genotype. The omp1 gene was highly conserved for genotypes E and F, but appeared slightly less conserved for other genotypes, where the sequences displayed one to several nucleotide substitutions relative to the reference sequence. Phylogenetic tree showed that C.trachomatis serotypes were mainly divided into three clusters, according to previous grouping in the B, F-G, and C complexes, and the clinical isolates were highly related to the corresponding reference strains. It concluded that the omp1 gene of the isolated C.trachomatis strains exhibited remarkable DNA sequence polymorphism, which can encourage for vaccine design and infection control.
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