Detection of Pectobacterium chrysanthemi Using Specific PCR Primers Designed from the 16S-23S rRNA Intergenic Spacer Region

The 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer regions (ISRs) were sequenced and analyzed to design specific primer for identification of Pectobacterium chrysanthemi. Two types ISRs, large and small ISRs, were identified from three strains (ATCC 11663, KACC 10163 and KACC 10165) of P. chrysanthemi and Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum ATCC 15713.Large ISRs contained transfer RNA-Ile(tRNA$^{Ile}$)and tRNA$^{Ala}$, and small ISRs contained tRNA$^{Glu}$. Size of the small ISRs of P. chrysanthemi ranged on 354-356 bp, while it was 451 bp in small ISR of P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum ATCC 15713. From hypervariable region of small ISRs, species-specific primer for P. chrysanthemi with 20 bp length (CHPG) was designed from hypervariable region of small ISRs, which was used as forward promer to detect P. chrysanthemi strains with R23-1R produced PCR product of about 260bp size (CHSF) only from P. chrysanthemi strains, not from other Pectobacterium spp. and Erwinia spp. Direct PCR from bacterial cell without extracting DNA successfully amplified a specific fragment, CHSF, from P. chrysanthemi ATCC 11663. The limit of PCR detection was 1${\pm}10^2$ cfu/ml.