Population structure and distribution of virulence-related genes of Bacteroides fragilis isolates from Korea and Japan

Sequences for rpoB, gyrB, pdiA, and ompA were determined from 63 Bacteroides fragilis isolates, which were from Korea and Japan and include 4 reference strains. All 4 gene sequences supported clear separation of the cfi+ group from the cfi− group. Combined sequences of the 60 division I isolates (cfi−) produced 45 different clones. Apparent discordance of gene trees, index of association, maximum likelihood test, and homoplasy ratio all supported a high frequency of recombination. There was no association between the presence of virulence-related genes and phylogenetic clustering in any gene tree.