Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of the lipopolysaccharide of Pasteurella multocida.

The lipopolysaccharide, also known as the somatic antigen or O-antigen, is an important virulence factor of Pasteurella multocida. In the current study, the genes involved in the biosynthesis of the outer core region of the lipopolysaccharide, which were obtained from somatic type reference strains and field strains of P. multocida, were subjected to polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) analysis. The PCR-RFLP analysis classified 11 out of the 16 serotypes into 5 PCR-RFLP types (I-V). Types I and V contain strains belong to serotypes 1 and 13, respectively. The rest of the PCR-RFLP types contain strains belong to certain groups of serotypes. Typing of 38 field strains from poultry using PCR-RFLP analysis and the gel diffusion precipitation test showed consistent results. These results indicate that the PCR-RFLP analysis can be a useful tool for rapid somatic typing of some strains of P. multocida.