Sequence variations in the internal transcribed spacers of the ribosomal RNA genes of Pneumocystis carinii strains that infect humans. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1994. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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Sequence variations in the internal transcribed spacers of the ribosomal RNA genes of Pneumocystis carinii strains that infect humans.

Abstr Gen Meet Am Soc Microbiol. 1994;94:141 (abstract no. D-255). Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ASM94/94313066
Lu J; Lee C; Bartlett M; Smith J; Indiana Univ. Sch. of Med., Indianapolis.

Abstract: Pneumocystis carinii is a major cause of life-threatening pneumonia in immunocompromised patients. It is unknown at present whether the P. carinii infecting humans represents a single type of organism or a group of organisms. To answer this question, we have examined the nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacers ITS1 and ITS2 of the ribosomal RNA genes of P. carinii in bronchoalveolar lavage specimens from 10 different patients. Oligonucleotide primers were designed to amplify the ITS1 and ITS2 regions separately or together by polymerase chain reaction and the nucleotide sequences of the amplified fragments were determined. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences revealed that sequence variations exist in both the ITS1 and ITS2 regions of P. carinii. We found 4 types of ITS1 (designated A, B, C, and D) and 4 types of ITS2 (designated a, b, c, d) sequences. Based on this information, we classified the P. carinii strains from the 10 patients into 5 types: Ab, Bd, Ca, Cb and Db. We also found that two patients were infected by two different types of P. carinii concurrently. The results of this study suggest that sequence variation in the ITS regions of rRNA genes of P. carinii can be used to subtype human P. carinii strains and that coinfection with more than one strain of P. carinii in the same patient is possible.
Keywords: Base Sequence Comparative Study DNA, Ribosomal/CHEMISTRY/*GENETICS *Genes, Fungal Human Pneumocystis carinii/CLASSIFICATION/*GENETICS/ISOLATION & PURIF Pneumonia, Pneumocystis carinii/*MICROBIOLOGY RNA, Ribosomal/GENETICS Transcription, Genetic *Variation (Genetics) ABSTRACTKWDbasesequencecomparativestudydna,ribosomal/chemistry/KWDgeneticsKWDgenes,fungalhumanpneumocystiscarinii/classification/KWDgenetics/isolation&purifpneumonia,pneumocystiscarinii/KWDmicrobiologyrna,ribosomal/geneticstranscription,geneticKWDvariation(genetics)abstract
941030
M94A0888

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