Repetitive element PCR fingerprinting (rep-PCR) using enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) primers is not necessarily directed at ERIC elements.

We examined the use of enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) sequences in PCR on the DNAs of various bacteria, bacteriophage, invertebrates, fungi, plants and vertebrates and have shown that complex ERIC-PCR patterns can be readily produced from all of these target organisms. A range of annealing temperatures was tested, from 52 degrees C (the commonly used annealing temperature) to 66 degrees C (the approximate Tm of ERIC primers). At the higher temperatures, most bands failed to amplify, the exception being a subset of bands from enterobacterial targets. It was concluded that ERIC-PCR does not necessarily direct amplification from genuine ERIC sequences.