The genetic variation within a bacterial clone (known as Shigella sonnei but in effect a clone of Escherichia coli) was examined by studying 46 clinical isolates that were epidemiologically unassociated and isolated from patients in different countries over a period of 41 years (1950 to 1991). Restriction fragment length polymorphism and DNA sequencing of two housekeeping genes, mglB and gnd, in 10 strains revealed only one nucleotide substitution in the mglB gene in one strain. Ribotyping of 31 strains recovered from five countries over the 41 years proved more sensitive, detecting eight polymorphic sites with worldwide change in frequency of alleles at one site over the period studied.