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Identifying divergent streptococcal strains using pherotype: implications for pathogen emergence and epidemiology
1UCL Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Royal Free Campus (M9), UCL, London, UK. b.charalambous@ucl.ac.uk
Future Microbiology
|December 13, 2012
Summary
New DNA-based methods like sequetyping and pherotyping offer improved identification of oral streptococci, addressing limitations of traditional phenotypic tests for clinical diagnosis.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Genetics
- Clinical Diagnostics
Background:
- Traditional DNA-based identification of oral streptococci is complex and not suitable for high-throughput clinical labs.
- Phenotypic tests (hemolysis, optochin sensitivity) are still used but are variable and can lead to misidentification, especially between closely related species like Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight recent advancements in DNA-based methods for differentiating oral streptococci.
- To introduce sequetyping and pherotyping as novel techniques for accurate identification and differentiation.
Main Methods:
- Sequetyping for identifying and serotyping Streptococcus pneumoniae.
- Pherotyping for distinguishing Streptococcus pneumoniae from Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae.
Main Results:
- Recent DNA-based methods show promise in overcoming the limitations of traditional identification techniques.
- Sequetyping and pherotyping offer more precise differentiation of oral streptococci species.
Conclusions:
- Novel DNA-based techniques like sequetyping and pherotyping are being developed to improve oral streptococci identification.
- Pherotyping, in particular, enables the identification of Streptococcus pseudopneumoniae, facilitating further research into its epidemiology and pathogenesis.
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