Multilocus variable-number of tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) for Clostridium tyrobutyricum strains isolated from cheese production environment.

Clostridium tyrobutyricum is a gram-positive spore-forming anaerobe that is considered as the main causative agent for late blowing in cheese due to butyric acid fermentation. In this study, multilocus variable-number of tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA) for C. tyrobutyricum was developed to identify the source of contamination by C.

Characteristics of enterotoxin H-producing Staphylococcus aureus isolated from clinical cases and properties of the enterotoxin productivity.

Staphylococcal enterotoxin H (SEH) is predicted to be involved in staphylococcal food poisoning. To characterize SEH-producing Staphylococcus aureus isolates from staphylococcal food poisoning cases in Japan, we investigated the relationship between SEH production and coagulase serotype, which is an epidemiological marker, and compared the properties of SEH production with those of staphylococcal enterotoxins A (SEA) and B (SEB). SEH production was determined by a newly developed sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Multiplex PCRs for assignment of Staphylocoagulase types and subtypes of type VI Staphylocoagulase.

Staphylocoagulases (SCs) have been classified by the differences in antigenicity using a serological method. We have developed a system to classify them based on the nucleotide differences in SC genes (coa). The system was composed of three multiplex PCRs (M-PCRs): M-PCR:A, identifying types III, IV, VII, and VIII; M-PCR:B, identifying types I, II, V, and VI; M-PCR:C, identifying three subtypes of type VI.