Bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes contain nine “hypervariable regions”(V1–V9)
that demonstrate considerable sequence diversity among different bacteria. Species-specific
sequences within a given hypervariable region constitute useful targets for diagnostic
assays and other scientific investigations. No single region can differentiate among all
bacteria; therefore, systematic studies that compare the relative advantage of each region for
specific diagnostic goals are needed. We characterized V1–V8 in 110 different bacterial …