An evaluation of DNA-based methodologies for subtyping Salmonella

Bacteria of the genus Salmonella are major human and animal pathogens worldwide, with over 2000 serotypes. Although most authorities agree that there are only one or two true species of Salmonella, serotype are accepted as pseudo-species. Without additional subtyping, serotyping has limited usefulness for epidemiology. Different methods of DNA typing and fingerprinting of Salmonella strains are evaluated and discussed, along with the most important epidemiological and phylogenetic discoveries using these methods. These methods include plasmid profiles and fingerprints, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) fingerprinting.