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

Abstract

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).