Abstract
The soluble peptides of strains of L. pneumophila, Tatlockia micdadei, Fluoribacter bozemanae, Fluoribacter dumoffii and Fluoribacter gormanii were studied by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Characteristic patterns were seen for Legionella and Tatlockia strains; the patterns for the Fluoribacter strains were variable as would be expected for this genetically heterogenous group. Grouping by peptide pattern was consistent with proposed taxons based on DNA-DNA homology. By using a new Ag stain technique, the sensitivity and ease of pattern recognition were enhanced significantly. This technique is an easily applied general method for distinguishing between strains in epidemiological studies.