Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Pathology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Pathology
. 1993 Jul;46(7):633–636. doi: 10.1136/jcp.46.7.633

Detection of the C protein gene among group B streptococci using PCR.

J A Mawn 1, A J Simpson 1, S R Heard 1
PMCID: PMC501392  PMID: 8157750

Abstract

AIM--To develop a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the specific detection of the C protein gene in strains of group B Streptococcus. METHODS--A single primer pair derived from the nucleotide sequence of the IgA binding beta antigen of the C protein complex permitted the specific amplification of a 592 base pair DNA fragment from the C protein gene. After 35 cycles of amplification this product could be detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. Southern blot hybridisation confirmed that this product was the C protein gene. RESULTS--PCR detected the C protein gene in 75 (63%) of 119 strains of group B streptococci analysed. The product was not detected in other Gram positive organisms, showing that this PCR assay was highly specific. The sensitivity of the assay was satisfactory to a dilution of 1 in 10,000 of extracted DNA. CONCLUSIONS--The C protein of group B streptococci is associated with neonatal sepsis. The specific detection of the C protein gene by PCR may help identify which strains are likely to be associated with infection by the organism.

Full text

PDF
633

Images in this article

635Image
on p.635
635Image
on p.635
635Image
on p.635

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Baker C. J., Barrett F. F. Transmission of group B streptococci among parturient women and their neonates. J Pediatr. 1973 Dec;83(6):919–925. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(73)80524-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baxter M. P., Finnegan M. A. Skeletal infection by group B beta-haemolytic streptococci in neonates. A case report and review of the literature. J Bone Joint Surg Br. 1988 Nov;70(5):812–814. doi: 10.1302/0301-620X.70B5.3056946. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bevanger L., Naess A. I. Mouse-protective antibodies against the Ibc proteins of group B streptococci. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand B. 1985 Apr;93(2):121–124. doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1985.tb02862.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Boyer K. M., Gotoff S. P. Prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcal disease with selective intrapartum chemoprophylaxis. N Engl J Med. 1986 Jun 26;314(26):1665–1669. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198606263142603. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chun C. S., Brady L. J., Boyle M. D., Dillon H. C., Ayoub E. M. Group B streptococcal C protein-associated antigens: association with neonatal sepsis. J Infect Dis. 1991 Apr;163(4):786–791. doi: 10.1093/infdis/163.4.786. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Eisenach K. D., Cave M. D., Bates J. H., Crawford J. T. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of a repetitive DNA sequence specific for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. J Infect Dis. 1990 May;161(5):977–981. doi: 10.1093/infdis/161.5.977. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Eykyn S. J., Young S. E., Cookson B. D. Increased community-acquired septicaemic infection with group B streptococci in adults. Lancet. 1991 Aug 17;338(8764):446–446. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(91)91069-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Fischetti V. A., Jones K. F., Hollingshead S. K., Scott J. R. Structure, function, and genetics of streptococcal M protein. Rev Infect Dis. 1988 Jul-Aug;10 (Suppl 2):S356–S359. doi: 10.1093/cid/10.supplement_2.s356. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Heard S. R., Mawn J. A. New phenotypic typing scheme for group B streptococci. J Clin Pathol. 1993 Feb;46(2):145–148. doi: 10.1136/jcp.46.2.145. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Jerlström P. G., Chhatwal G. S., Timmis K. N. The IgA-binding beta antigen of the c protein complex of Group B streptococci: sequence determination of its gene and detection of two binding regions. Mol Microbiol. 1991 Apr;5(4):843–849. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1991.tb00757.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kasper D. L., Baker C. J. Electron microscopic definition of surface antigens of group B Streptococcus. J Infect Dis. 1979 Feb;139(2):147–151. doi: 10.1093/infdis/139.2.147. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kwok S., Higuchi R. Avoiding false positives with PCR. Nature. 1989 May 18;339(6221):237–238. doi: 10.1038/339237a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Lancefield R. C., McCarty M., Everly W. N. Multiple mouse-protective antibodies directed against group B streptococci. Special reference to antibodies effective against protein antigens. J Exp Med. 1975 Jul 1;142(1):165–179. doi: 10.1084/jem.142.1.165. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Lim D. V., Morales W. J., Walsh A. F., Kazanis D. Reduction of morbidity and mortality rates for neonatal group B streptococcal disease through early diagnosis and chemoprophylaxis. J Clin Microbiol. 1986 Mar;23(3):489–492. doi: 10.1128/jcm.23.3.489-492.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Madoff L. C., Michel J. L., Gong E. W., Rodewald A. K., Kasper D. L. Protection of neonatal mice from group B streptococcal infection by maternal immunization with beta C protein. Infect Immun. 1992 Dec;60(12):4989–4994. doi: 10.1128/iai.60.12.4989-4994.1992. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mahbubani M. H., Bej A. K., Miller R., Haff L., DiCesare J., Atlas R. M. Detection of Legionella with polymerase chain reaction and gene probe methods. Mol Cell Probes. 1990 Jun;4(3):175–187. doi: 10.1016/0890-8508(90)90051-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Michel J. L., Madoff L. C., Kling D. E., Kasper D. L., Ausubel F. M. Cloned alpha and beta C-protein antigens of group B streptococci elicit protective immunity. Infect Immun. 1991 Jun;59(6):2023–2028. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.6.2023-2028.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Russell-Jones G. J., Gotschlich E. C., Blake M. S. A surface receptor specific for human IgA on group B streptococci possessing the Ibc protein antigen. J Exp Med. 1984 Nov 1;160(5):1467–1475. doi: 10.1084/jem.160.5.1467. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Saiki R. K., Gelfand D. H., Stoffel S., Scharf S. J., Higuchi R., Horn G. T., Mullis K. B., Erlich H. A. Primer-directed enzymatic amplification of DNA with a thermostable DNA polymerase. Science. 1988 Jan 29;239(4839):487–491. doi: 10.1126/science.2448875. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Southern E. M. Detection of specific sequences among DNA fragments separated by gel electrophoresis. J Mol Biol. 1975 Nov 5;98(3):503–517. doi: 10.1016/s0022-2836(75)80083-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Summary of the workshop on perinatal infections due to group B Streptococcus. J Infect Dis. 1977 Jul;136(1):137–152. doi: 10.1093/infdis/136.1.137. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Valtonen M. V., Kasper D. L., Levy N. J. Isolation of a C (Ibc) protein from group B Streptococcus which elicits mouse protective antibody. Microb Pathog. 1986 Apr;1(2):191–204. doi: 10.1016/0882-4010(86)90021-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Pathology are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES