| abstract |
The present invention relates to detecting and distinguishing among bacteria that belong to the species Shigella , including Shigella boydii, Shigella dysenteriae, Shigella flexneri , and Shigella sonnei ; and detecting and distinguishing Shigella bacteria from Escherichia coli . In particular, the invention includes provision of species-identifying and genus-identifying nucleotides of 16s rRNA or 16s rDNA from the above named species. Nucleic acid probe molecules capable of differentiating among these species and genera by hybridization, along with methods for their use for specific detection in clinical samples, food samples, environmental samples, and the like are also provided. |