Genetic analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and arbitrarily primed PCR: gel analysis compared with microchip gel electrophoresis.

Objectives: To assess the applicability of a newly emerging microchip gel electrophoresis for rapid strain differentiation among clinical isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and to compare this technique with the traditional gel method for DNA separation.

Methods: One hundred clinical strains of P. aeruginosa obtained from a hospital in northwestern Ohio were tested for reactivity to 3 serotype-specific monoclonal antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.