The Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol 45, Issue 6 507-511, Copyright © 1996 by Society for General Microbiology
Detection of Fc receptor genes from Staphylococcus aureus and streptococci by polymerase chain reaction
S. Yamada, J. Yamagishi and A. Matsumoto
Department of Microbiology, Kawasaki Medical School, Kurashiki, Okayama, Japan.
A method based upon the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detecting genes
encoding the Fc receptors of Staphylococcus aureus and streptococci is
described. Primers were designed from the nucleotide sequences of the five
Fc receptor genes encoding protein A, protein G, protein H, FcRA and
protein V. Amplification products corresponding in size to the protein A
and protein G genes were detected in S. aureus strain Cowan 1 and
Streptococcus pyogenes strain G148, respectively, as expected. Str.
pyogenes strain AR1 was shown to possess the type H receptor gene. Two
clinical isolates of Str. pyogenes, strains IP-28 and ES-21L, were shown to
possess genes for Fc receptor types FcRA and protein G, respectively. The
identification of all these products was confirmed by restriction
endonuclease analysis. Amplification of protein H genes from two other
clinical isolates of streptococci, MS-4 and MS-38, yielded a product larger
than expected and with a different restriction fragment pattern to strain
AR1, indicating a new type of Fc receptor gene. This PCR method provides a
DNA-based method for the determination of Fc receptor type in S. aureus and
streptococci.
