A cluster of atypical Yersinia strains with a distinctive 16S rRNA signature

Abstract

Thirty-eight bacterial isolates from raw milk samples in Queensland, Australia were identified as members of the genus Yersinia on the basis of biochemical profile, ability to hybridize with a genus-specific DNA probe, comparative 16S rDNA sequence analysis, and the presence of characteristic 16S rDNA signature nucleotides which occur in all Yersinia spp. Twenty-five of these isolates reacted with typing sera (O:22 or O:58) of Y enterocolitica; the remainder were non-typable. None of the isolates displayed any of the phenotypic or genetic virulence-associated characteristics of Y enterocolitica. Comparative 16S rDNA sequence analysis revealed that members of this group appear to represent a ..