PCR MP Method for Differentiation of Clavibacter michiganensis Subsp. sepedonicus Isolates

The published data indicate that the bacterium Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus ( Cms ) shows a notably low degree of intraspecific variation, and most of the molecular diagnostic methods could differentiate among subspecies groups but lacked the resolution to detect genetic diversity within subspecies. The present study describes effective differentiation of 50 isolates of C. michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus by the PCR MP method using five restriction enzymes ( Apa I , Pst I , Bam HI , Xma I , Hind III). By analysing the electrophoretic patterns obtained by the PCR MP method performed with the applied restriction enzymes, each of the 50 tested isolates could be identified and distinguished from the remaining isolates. The PCR MP method of bacterial strain identification can be used in epidemiological studies, particularly for excluding the isolates of C. michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus as a source of primary infection.