Characterization of the 16S–23S and 23S–5S rRNA intergenic spacer regions of dairy propionibacteria and their identification with species-specific primers by PCR

In this study, the 16S–23S and 23S–5S rRNA intergenic spacer region sequences of Propionibacterium acidipropionici, P. freudenreichii ssp. freudenreichii and ssp. shermanii, P. jensenii and P. thoenii were determined. The sequences were shown to vary greatly between the species. Specific primer pairs were derived from the 16S–23S rRNA spacer sequences and used for the identification of the species by PCR.