​txt] 39. MICA: Virtual Digest. [http://​mica.​ibest.​uidaho.​edu/​digest.​php] 40. Engebretson JJ, Moyer CL: Fidelity of select restriction endonucleases in determining microbial AZD5363 supplier diversity by terminal-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Appl Environ Microbiol 2003, 69:4823–9.CrossRefPubMed 41. Verhelst R, Verstraelen H, Claeys G, Verschraegen G, Delanghe J,

Van Simaey L, De Ganck C, Temmerman M, Vaneechoutte M: Cloning of 16S rRNA genes amplified from normal and disturbed vaginal microflora suggests a strong association between Atopobium vaginae, selleckchem Gardnerella vaginalis and bacterial vaginosis. BMC Microbiol 2004., 4: Authors’ contributions HV and MT participated in the development of the study design, the collection GSK872 of the study samples, the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, and in the writing of the report. RV, GC, EDB and MV participated in the development of the study design, the analysis of the study samples, the collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, and in the writing of the report. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”
“Background Streptococcus pyogenes (Group A streptococcus) is a common pathogen responsible for a number of human suppurative infections, including pharyngitis, impetigo, pyoderma, erysipelas, cellulitis, necrotizing fasciitis, toxic

streptococcal syndrome, scarlet fever, septicemia, pneumonia and meningitis. It also causes non-suppurative sequelae, including acute rheumatic fever, acute glomerulonephritis and acute arthritis [1]. Scarlet fever, characterized by a sore throat, skin rash and strawberry tongue, is most prevalent in school children aged four to seven years Thymidylate synthase old. This disease was listed as a notifiable disease in Taiwan until 2007; as such, all cases of scarlet fever had to be reported to the public heath department. According to our records, however, only 9% of the medical centers, regional hospitals and district hospitals in central Taiwan reported cases of scarlet fever to the

health authorities between 1996 and 1999. The number of scarlet fever cases is therefore likely to be significantly underreported. Scarlet fever outbreaks frequently occur in young children at day-care centers, kindergartens and elementary schools [2, 3] and also occur in adults upon exposure to contaminated food [4]. Genotyping bacterial isolates with various methods is frequently used to compare the genetic relatedness of bacterial strains and provides useful information for epidemiological studies. In a previous study, we used emm (gene of M protein) sequencing [5], vir typing [6] and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing to analyze a collection of streptococcal isolates from scarlet fever patients and used these data to build a DNA fingerprint and emm sequence database for long-term disease surveillance [7].