Abstract
Sequence analysis of the RNA polymerase B subunit encoding gene (rpoB) has been proposed as a useful tool for bacterial identification. This method has been implemented to differentiate five well-defined Proteus species: P. mirabilis, P. hauseri, P. penneri, P. vulgaris, and P. myxofaciens. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of rpoB sequencing for intraspecies discrimination of P. mirabilis. The sequence of rpoB 909 bp region was analyzed in 15 newly isolated strains and 5 of 8 years old isolates from different clinical sources. Three respective groups were obtained. The first group included 13 of the new strains showing similarity with Proteus mirabilis (ATCC 29906) strain. The second group including 3 of the old strains differs from the first group with a divergence of 0.22%. Group 3 contains only a single new strain 33. The sequence of this strain shows differences in the rpoB 909 bp region analyzed from the members of group 1 and the second group by 1.65% and 1.87% divergence respectively. According to our results, genetic differences could be detected within the P. mirabilis species. Therefore much more effort should be made to re-evaluate rpoB method and validate its usefulness as a molecular diagnostic method.
Highlights
As a member of the Enterobacteriaceae, Proteus sp. constitutes a part of the normal flora of the intestinal tract of both humans and animals
Three species namely Proteus mirabilis, P. penneri and P. vulgaris are associated with most common causes of complicated urinary tract infections [2] [3] and are notable for their swarming abilities, which are directly linked to their ability to cause diseases [2] [4]
All strains of our study were almost grouped in three respective branches more closely related to Proteus mirabilis reference strains installed from the GenBank
Summary
As a member of the Enterobacteriaceae, Proteus sp. constitutes a part of the normal flora of the intestinal tract of both humans and animals. Three species namely Proteus mirabilis, P. penneri and P. vulgaris are associated with most common causes of complicated urinary tract infections [2] [3] and are notable for their swarming abilities, which are directly linked to their ability to cause diseases [2] [4]. In Egypt, P. mirabilis constitutes the third most commonly isolated pathogen of urinary tract infections after Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae [11]. For both taxonomic and epidemiological studies of the genus Proteus, several phenotypic typing methods such as serology and phage typing have been used in the past for identification of Proteus species. RpoB sequencing is examined as a tool for intra-species discrimination of Proteus mirabilis clinical isolates
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