Evaluating the Suitability of Aflp Technology for Genotyping Strains Of Serratia Marcescens

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the suitability of AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) for genotyping strains of Serratia marcescens as a model plant pathogen. Twelve strains of Serratia from various ecological niches were obtained from Oklahoma State University-Stillwater. DNA was extracted using organic extraction and quantitated using spectrophotometry. Strains were genotyped using the AFLP Microbial Fingerprinting kit from Applied Biosystems. Capillary electrophoresis and GeneMapper ID software was used to analyze the data. Findings and Conclusions: AFLP profiles exhibited 87% reproducibility through replicate assays. Visual comparisons of electropherograms showed that all strains of Serratia tested can be distinguished from one another. The discriminatory power of the AFLP profiles was enhanced with the application of a binary code. The binary code allows laboratories nationwide to communicate whether are not the same strain maybe present, which is critical in attributing the pathogen to its source.