Bacteriology Laboratory

Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE)

PFGE is a technique by which whole chromosomal bacterial DNA fragments embedded in an agarose gel are subjected to alternating electrical fields to generate a DNA fingerprint. DNA fingerprinting by PFGE can be used to identify related isolates involved in investigations of:

• Foodborne/waterborne outbreak events
• Nosocomial illness
• Clusters of community acquired illness

The NYS Bacteriology Laboratory is a member of PulseNet, a national network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). PFGE is ued by PulseNet to identify and track outbreaks of bacterial disease. The network consists of state and local health departments and federal agencies (CDC, USDA/FSIS, FDA).