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Discrimination Between Mesophilic and Psychrotolerant Strains in the Bacillus cereus Group Based on the PstI Digestion of the pycA Gene

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Abstract

A simple and rapid assay for the detection of Bacillus weihenstephanensis isolates and other psychrotolerant strains in the Bacillus cereus group was developed. It is based on the presence of a nucleotide substitution at position 795 on the housekeeping pycA gene in all B. weihenstephanensis strains. This mutation creates a PstI recognition site. It is absent in mesophilic strains in the B. cereus group. The pycA gene is amplified by PCR and the amplicons submitted to PstI digestions. In mesophilic strains, a single band of 1,718 bp in length is visualised on an agarose gel. In B. weihenstephanensis strains and in all other psychrotolerant strains from the B. cereus group, the amplicons are cleaved and two bands of 1,175 and 543 bp, respectively, are visualised. This method could be used for the screening of B. cereus collections and for the identification of psychrotolerant and mesophilic isolates from different environments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 430 Gouin Blvd., Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, J3B 3E6, Canada

    Brahim Soufiane & Jean-Charles Côté

  2. Département de Chimie-Biologie, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 3351 Boul. des Forges, P.O. Box 500, Trois-Rivières, QC, G9A 5H7, Canada

    Brahim Soufiane

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  1. Brahim Soufiane
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  2. Jean-Charles Côté
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Correspondence to Jean-Charles Côté.

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Soufiane, B., Côté, JC. Discrimination Between Mesophilic and Psychrotolerant Strains in the Bacillus cereus Group Based on the PstI Digestion of the pycA Gene. Curr Microbiol 67, 148–155 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-013-0339-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-013-0339-0

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