Phylogenetic Diversity of Staphylococcus aureus by Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA

The polymerase chain reaction was used to obtain randomly amplified polymorphic DNA profiles for genetic fingerprinting of twelve different isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from Riyadh region, KSA using RAPD-PCR technique eleven out of forty operon primers (10-mer primers) showed polymorphism among the isolates tested generating over 65 bands, approximately 42 of which were polymorphic with sizes ranging between 300 and 3,000 bp. A numerical analysis of the genomic profiles obtained demonstrated that it was possible to differentiate the S. aureus strains. Using this technique. All the isolates were classified completely into three major groups (Sc.A, Sc.B, Sc.C) with five different subgroups. Sc. A group originated from animal host while isolates from plant and animal origins formed the Sc.B and Sc.C group. The five different subgroups of Sc. A suggested adaptation of S. aureus in different host cells. This indicates possible relationships between host origin and genetic variation among S. aureus isolates. The DNA fingerprint defined for each race of S. aureus could be useful in epidermiological studies, medical diagnosis and the identification of new strains and their origins.