Molecular typing of Shigella strains using pulsed field gel electrophoresis and genome hybridization with insertion sequences.

The genomes of 18 independent Shigella isolates (9 Shigella sonnei, 5 Shigella dysenteriae and 4 Shigella flexneri) as well as of 4 epidemic S. flexneri strains were analysed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and by the distribution of insertion sequences (IS1, IS2 and IS911). Despite the close relatedness observed among the 9 independent S. sonnei, all of them could be differentiated from each other. The 4 independent S. flexneri isolates showed clearly distinguishable DNA profiles. Nearly complete genetic identity was detected within the 4 epidemic S. flexneri when analysed by PFGE or for IS1 and IS2 patterns. However, IS911 was found to be too mobile in these epidemic S. flexneri to be used as a typing probe. The 5 S. dysenteriae isolates could also be distinguished by the techniques used. The diversity found within this species is striking: of the 5 investigated isolates, 3 completely different DNA profiles were revealed. In conclusion, both PFGE and IS probing demonstrated their potential usefulness in molecular epidemiology and in typing of Shigella strains. The degree of differentiation given by these two methods was generally comparable, although IS probes showed better discrimination of the isolates.