Comparative Evaluation of PCR-Based Genotyping Methods for Clinical <i>Shigella</i> Isolates
| Author | Zahra Nazari | en |
| Author | Akram Sadat Tabatabaee Bafroee | en |
| Author | Zohreh Ahmadi | en |
| Author | Mohammad Rahbar | en |
| Author | Parisa Eslami | en |
| Orcid | Akram Sadat Tabatabaee Bafroee [0000-0003-0309-2206] | en |
| Orcid | Zohreh Ahmadi [0000-0002-6840-5640] | en |
| Issued Date | 2026-01-31 | en |
| Abstract | Background: Shigellosis continues to pose a significant public health challenge worldwide, with recurrent outbreaks and sporadic cases in both developing and developed countries. Molecular genotyping of Shigella isolates is crucial for understanding epidemiology and controlling disease transmission. Objectives: This study aimed to genotype Shigella species isolated from clinical specimens using multiple PCR-based molecular techniques and to evaluate their discriminatory power and efficiency in bacterial strain differentiation. Methods: Sixty Shigella isolates were collected from clinical centers in Tehran and Qazvin, Iran. After biochemical and molecular confirmation, isolates were genotyped using four PCR-based methods: BOX-PCR, ERIC-PCR (Repetitive Intergenic Consensus-PCR), RAPD-PCR, and Rep-PCR. Banding patterns were scored by binary coding (presence/absence), and cluster analysis was performed using the Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) and Jaccard similarity coefficient within NTsys-pc software. Results: At a 70% similarity threshold, isolates were grouped into 21, 20, 10, and 17 clusters by BOX-PCR, ERIC-PCR, RAPD-PCR, and Rep-PCR, respectively. Simpson’s diversity Index values were highest for ERIC-PCR (0.949) and BOX-PCR (0.92), indicating superior discriminatory ability compared to RAPD-PCR (0.84) and Rep-PCR (0.88). Conclusions: ERIC-PCR and BOX-PCR demonstrated the highest genotyping performance for clinical Shigella isolates, highlighting their suitability as rapid and reliable tools for molecular epidemiological investigations. These findings support the integration of these PCR-based methods into routine bacterial typing workflows. | en |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5812/jjm-158754 | en |
| Keyword | <i>Shigella</i> | en |
| Keyword | Genotyping | en |
| Keyword | BOX-PCR | en |
| Keyword | ERIC-PCR | en |
| Keyword | RAPD-PCR | en |
| Keyword | Rep-PCR | en |
| Keyword | Simpson's Diversity Index | en |
| Keyword | Molecular Epidemiology | en |
| Publisher | Brieflands | en |
| Title | Comparative Evaluation of PCR-Based Genotyping Methods for Clinical <i>Shigella</i> Isolates | en |
| Type | Research Article | en |