The Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol 34, Issue 5 277-283, Copyright © 1991 by Society for General Microbiology
Clonal analysis of non-typable Haemophilus influenzae by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of whole cell polypeptides
K. D. Bruce and T. H. Pennington
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Aberdeen Medical School, Foresterhill.
A collection of 223 strains of non-typable Haemophilus influenzae was
assembled. Most strains were isolated from hospital in-patients in North
East Scotland between 1984 and 1989. These isolates were examined by sodium
dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of whole
cell polypeptides. Variability was assessed in terms of apparent molecular
weight differences between the protein profiles. Isolates were grouped on
the basis of Dice coefficients of similarity and assigned to clones. Of the
223 strains, 147 were unique; the remaining strains were assigned to
multi-member clones of which 13 clones had two members, one clone had three
members, three clones had four members, three clones had five members, two
clones had six members and one clone had eight members. The longest time
interval between isolation of clonally related strains virtually equalled
the limits of the study. Isolates from a childrens' hospital were
significantly less diverse than those from patients in adult wards.
