Numerical analysis of electrophoretic protein patterns ofCampylobacter laridisand allied thermophilic campylobacters from the natural environment

摘要

Twenty‐one strains comprisingCampylobacter laridis(nine), nalidixic acid sensitive campylobacters (NASC) (four), and urease‐positive thermophilic campylobacters (UPTC) (eight) were characterized by one‐dimensional SDS‐PAGE of cellular proteins. The UPTC and NASC strains included six from river water, two from mussels and four from sea water. The type strains of three otherCampylobacterspecies were included for reference. The protein patterns, which contained 45–50 discrete bands, were highly reproducible and were used as the basis for two numerical analyses. In the first, which included all the protein bands, the 21 strains formed nine clusters at the 80 similarity (S) level. The typicalC. laridisstrains were restricted to two phenons (2 and 5); the atypical strains being distributed among the remaining phenons. In the second analysis, which excluded the principal protein bands (40–48.5 kD range), the 21 strains formed five clusters at the 80 S level. The typicalC. laridisstrains were relatively homogeneous and fell into a single phenon (2) within which two subgroups were discernable. The atypical strains were more heterogeneous with respect to background protein pattern, with representatives appearing in all five phenons. An electropherotyping scheme comprising six electropherotypes, and based on both analyses is proposed. The high within‐group S level and separation from reference strains ofCampylobacterin the second analysis, suggested that UPTC and NASC strains belonged withinC. laridispossib