Differentiation of clinical isolates of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans using an insertion sequence, ISAa1

We previously identified an IS200-like sequence (ISAa1) in the genome of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans FDC Y4. One or more hybridizing bands to the ISAa1 probe were detected in each of several reference strains, representing three of the serotypes (a through c) of A. actinomycetemcomitans. In this study, we examined whether a restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) with ISAa1 as a probe could differentiate clinical isolates. One or more hybridizing bands were detected in each of the 27 strains examined, which could be divided into seven groups according to restriction fragment-length polymorphism pattern. Several strains were observed with identical restriction fragment-length polymorphism types but with different serotypes. Conversely, strains were also observed with differing restriction fragment-length polymorphism types and identical serotypes.