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The first database comprised of flagellin gene (flaA) types of Campylobacter jejuni human clinical isolates from Greece

  • Infectious Diseases
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Abstract

Background:

Flagellin subunit A gene (flaA) typing of Campylobacter has been recognized by several groups as a relatively simple and quick genotyping method. The present study aimed to create, for the first time in Greece, a database with flaA restriction patterns, which could be used for future epidemiological and clinical studies. A total of 207 C. jejuni clinical isolates of known serotype were collected from 5 general hospitals of the area of Attica, during the period 2000–2003.

Results:

The RFLP profiles of each strain were matched in 44 bins of 0 or 1. Thirty nine different flaA types, designated as flaA 1 GR to flaA 39 GR (GR: Greece) were found. There was no significant association of certain genotypes with certain serotypes. However flaA typing showed a remarkable discriminatory ability inside the non-typable (NT) group.

Conclusions:

Evaluating our results we observed (i) that there was no clonality of a certain flaA type among the strains and the serotypes examined and (ii) that the discriminatory ability of flaA typing was much better than that of serotyping. Giving a simple and detailed description of the data analysis, we are the first who publish the bin patterns for the flaA genotypes found.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the following persons for their invaluable contribution to the collection of the clinical bacterial isolates: Papavasileiou Eleni, Voyatzi Aliki from Penteli Children’s Hospital, Zaphiropoulou Anthi, Foustoukou Maria from ‚P & A Kyriakou’ Children’s Hospital, Athens, Kanellopoulou Maria, Papafrangas Evangelos from Sismanoglio General Hospital, Maroussi, Athens, Trikka – Grafakos Eleftheria from Thriassio Hospital Athens, Charissiadou Athina, Chrysakis Katerina from ‚Agia Sophia’ Children’s Hospital. We are indebted to Mr. Pantelis Bagos from the Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics, University of Athens for the statistical analysis of the data. We thank HERAKLEITOS fellowships program of the Greek Ministry of National Education, for supporting this study in the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Microbiology, Aeginition Hospital, Athens Medical School, Vass. Sophias av. 72-74, 11528, Athens, Greece

    Anastassios Ioannidis, Chryssoula Nicolaou, Vasiliki Ioannidou & Stylianos Chatzipanagiotou

  2. Department of Microbiology, Athens Medical School, M. Asias 75, Goudi, 11528, Athens, Greece

    Nicholas J. Legakis

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  1. Anastassios Ioannidis
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  2. Chryssoula Nicolaou
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  3. Nicholas J. Legakis
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  4. Vasiliki Ioannidou
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  5. Stylianos Chatzipanagiotou
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Correspondence to Stylianos Chatzipanagiotou.

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Ioannidis, A., Nicolaou, C., Legakis, N.J. et al. The first database comprised of flagellin gene (flaA) types of Campylobacter jejuni human clinical isolates from Greece. Eur J Epidemiol 21, 823–829 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-006-9073-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-006-9073-2

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