Identification of Haemophilus aphrophilus and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans by DNA-DNA hybridization and genetic transformation.

DNA-DNA hybridization was used to identify clinical isolates as Haemophilus aphrophilus or Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Some of the isolates were naturally competent for genetic transformation and were also used as DNA recipients for identification of other isolates. The results obtained by hybridization were supported by interstrain-to-intrastrain transformation ratios. Distinction between the closely related species H. aphrophilus and A. actinomycetemcomitans was generally clear-cut by both methods. Distinction of H. aphrophilus and A. actinomycetemcomitans from type and reference strains of a diversity of species in the family Neisseriaceae and other gram-negative species was also demonstrated by both methods. This is the first description of the identification of clinical isolates of H. aphrophilus or A. actinomycetemcomitans by using them as recipients in genetic transformation. The results suggest that this is a reliable system for identification of new clinical isolates belonging to these taxonomic entities.