TABLE 5.

Comparison of the Csp6I-generated SP-GSTs located upstream of the 16S rRNA gene for B. cereus and B. anthracis species^a

GST	Presence (+) of the tag in:
	B. anthracis strains	B. cereus ZK	B. cereus ATCC 10987	B. cereus ATCC 14579	B. cereus H27141	B. cereus H52652	B. cereus F65185	B. cereus F69977	B. cereus SB460
TTGCATTTGAAAATGTA	+	+	+		+	+	+	+	+
TGCATGATATATTAATA	+	+	+			+	+	+
AACAACAATCCAATATG	+	+
AACAACCCTCTAATTAT	+
AACAATAAAACAAATTA	+
AGGTCATTCATAAGGAG	+
TACATATGGCGATGGTA	+
TCCGATTGATGAATATC	+
TGATATACAATTTAAAT	+
TAGCAGGAACACGAATA	+	+
CTTCAAAAGAACAATAG		+			+	+	+	+
AACAACCCCCTAATTAT		+
AGGTCATTCATAGGGAG		+
AACAAGTTTGACTACGA		+
CGCAGGCAGAAGAGCAT		+
TATGATATATTATAAAA		+
TGGTATACAATTTAAAT		+
TTATAATTTCTAGAGAG		+
TTGTATTGGAAATAAGT		+
AACCACTTTTTTGGCTC		+	+			+		+
TATTATTCCCTGCTATG			+		+	+	+	+	+
AACAAGTTTTACTGCGA			+
AGGAGTGTAATATAGAA			+
CGCAAGCAGAAGAGCAT			+
CGTCTACAAAGCCGTGG			+
GTCTTTTCTTACTATAT			+
TGCAACAATCACAAGTT			+
TTTAGAGGTGTAATATA			+
TTGTGTTGGAAATAAGT	+		+
ACCGATTGATGAATACC				+		+	+	+
AACAAGTTTCACAGCGA				+
AGCAGCAATAACGAGTT				+
AGCCGCTTTTTTGACTC				+
CAGTTGTTCTGCCAAGG				+
CCCATACTACCGATTTC				+
CTTGTGGAATCAATGAC				+
GATTTCTTTTTCAATTT				+
GGGTCACCACTTCGGAG				+
GGTATGCCTCCTACGGG				+
TAAAAGAAAAAATACTA				+
TGATGGAAGTTGTTCGG				+
CGCAAGCGGAAGAGCAT	+			+
TCCAGTTGAAGAATAT					+
TTACGTATCAAGTGGC					+
TTGTTATTTCGAAATC					+
AGCGACAGTAACAAGT					+
AGAAGTGTAATATAGA					+	+
TATTATTACCCTGCTA						+
TTTGTTCTTTGAAAAT						+
TGAATAGAGGGGGCAGG						+
TTACGTATCGAGCGG							+
CCCATAGATAGTTCTG							+
ACACTTGCGGATGGTA								+
GCCAATTGATGAATAC								+
TTGGCATTTGAAAATG								+
AACAACTCTCTAATTA									+
AGCGGCAATAACGAGT									+
TCCAGTTGAAGAGTAT									+

^aTags were obtained using the 27R primer against position 8-27 (Fig. 1) of the 16S rRNA gene (1) and Csp6I (GTAC) as anchoring enzyme. All three B. anthracis strains share identical internal and upstream GSTs, making it impossible to distinguish between individual strains. Furthermore, it was impossible to distinguish between B. anthracis and B. cereus strains using internal tags (results not shown). The Csp6I sequence (GTAC) at the 5′ end of the tags was omitted, resulting in 16- or 17-bp sequences.