Characterization of <i>Aeromonas salmonicida</i> Strains using DNA Probe Technology

Epizootiological studies on Aeromonas salmonicida are important in view of its role as the causative agent of furunculosis. The use of DNA probes to detect restriction fragment length variations promised to provide a new way to distinguish between different strains of the organism. We used four different DNA probes in combination with seven restriction enzymes to compare seven strains of A. salmonicida. Despite the diversity of the geographical origins of the organisms no differences in the patterns of the hybridizing bands were found. This suggests that the DNA sequences of A. salmonicida are very strongly conserved and that the potential for DNA probes to identify different strains may be limited.