Multilocus electrophoretic assessment of the genetic structure and diversity of Yersinia ruckeri

Multilocus isoenzyme electrophoresis was used to screen 47 field isolates of Yersinia ruckeri for electrophoretic variation at 15 enzyme loci. Only four electrophoretic types were observed, thus indicating that the genetic structure of Y. ruckeri is clonal. Forty-two isolates were of one electrophoretic type, a reflection of the low amount of genetic diversity extant in this species. Although sorbitol fermentation has been considered to be indicative of a second biotype, no significant gene frequency differences were found between the group of 20 isolates that readily used sorbitol as the sole carbon source and the group of 27 that did not.