DNA relatedness between Enterobacter sakazakii and other members of the genus Enterobacter

A DNA-DNA hybridization study (nitrocellulose filter method) was carried out with 13 strains of Enterobacter sakazakii and 38 strains belonging to other Enterobacter species (E. cloacae, E. amnigenus, E. intermedium and E. gergoviae). E. sakazakii strains were highly related (mean relative binding ratio +/- standard deviation: 89% +/- 10) to the strain R 16-76 (labelled DNA). No close relationship was found with the other Enterobacter species. The low relative binding ratios were not due to a difference in genome size (as shown by reciprocal binding experiments).