Similarities between Fusobacterium nucleatum and bacteroides fragilis studied by two DNA probes derived from Fusobacterium nucleatum.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplified oligonucleotide DNA probe corresponding to a Fusobacterium nucleatum Fevl DNA region coding for a 40-kDa major outer-membrane protein (OMP) and a randomly cloned 2.1 kb DNA probe were found to recognize DNA from the Gram-negative bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum and Bacteroides fragilis on Southern blots and slot blots. The results indicate sequence similarity within the DNA fragments studied. Immunoblots tested with polyclonal antibodies against whole cells of F. nucleatum revealed only weak antigen similarity between these species.