ISSa4-based differentiation of Streptococcus agalactiae strains and identification of multiple target sites for ISSa4 insertions.

ABSTRACT: A collection of 113 epidemiologically unrelated Streptococcus agalactiae strains were studied (group B streptococcus; GBS): they belonged to different serotypes and were isolated from pregnant women in China and Russia. The insertion sequence ISSa4 was found in 21 of 113 strains (18,6%). All of the strains with ISSa4 belonged to serotypes II and II/c and were characterized by the presence of IS1381 and IS861 as well as the absence of IS1548 and GBSi1. All of the strains with ISSa4 possessed both bca and bac virulence genes coding for alpha and beta antigens, respectively. Among 21 ISSa4-positive strains, 13 different HindIII patterns (D1 to D13) hybridizing with an ISSa4 probe were found. One of them (D13) contained a single HindIII hybridization fragment 6.5 kb in size that was found to b

SUBMITTER: Dmitriev A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC344221 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature