ABSTRACT During an evaluation of PCR for identification of isolates of Enterococcus hirae , a homologue with 82% identity to E. hirae mur-2 was identified in Enterococcus durans and was named mur-2 ed . PCR using primers for two genes ( copY and murG ) of E. hirae strains showed amplification with E. hirae strains only. PCR (under high-stringency conditions) with primers for the mur-2 ed gene gave the expected amplification product only with E. durans strains. A combination of murG and mur-2 ed primers in a multiplex PCR assay differentiated E. hirae from E. durans in all cases. PCR using these primers appears to be a rapid alternative for identification of E. hirae and E. durans isolates.
