How does the L. pneumophila SBT scheme work?
Following genomic DNA extraction from L. pneumophila, specific gene fragments are amplified and the PCR amplicons sequenced using both forward and reverse primers. Consensus sequences are entered into the online database, which allows the assignment of individual allele numbers. The resulting allelic profile is comprised of a string of the individual allele numbers separated by commas e.g., 1,4,3,1,1,1,1 in a pre-determined order, i.e. flaA, pilE, asd, mip, mompS, proA, neuA. Where all seven alleles are defined this now results in a single Sequence Type (ST). If an allele is missing, i.e not determined, a zero is entered for that position and no ST can be allocated; however the allelic profile can still be highly informative.
