DNA fingerprinting ofStreptococcus uberis: a useful tool for epidemiology of bovine mastitis

Abstract

SUMMARYA simple and reproducible typing system based on restriction fragment size of chromosomal DNA was developed to compare isolates ofStreptococcus uberisobtained from the bovine mammary gland. The endonuclease giving the most useful restriction patterns wasHindIII, although seven other endonucleases (Bgl1,EcoR1,Not1,Pst1,Sfi1,Sma1,Xba1) were also tested in the system. An image analyser was used to obtain a densitometric scan and a graphic display of the restriction patterns. Such a system will allow large scale data storage for future computer-aided comparison.