A procedure was developed for characterization of Chlamydia trachomatis strains by using restriction endonuclease analysis of amplified genes of the major outer membrane protein (MOMP). Reference strains of the 15 serovars (A through K and L1 through L3) and clinical isolates were tested. The nucleotide sequences of the MOMP genes of each of the 15 serovars were arbitrarily constructed by using the sequences of the four variable domains known for each serovar and the constant domains of serovar L1. Computer analysis of these sequences indicated that two restriction digestions performed in parallel, one with AluI and the other with IIpaII, followed by HinfI and EcoRI, would allow the theoretical differentiation of 13 serovars. Serovars Ba and L1 presented the same theoretical restriction profile. Our typing method consisted of polymerase chain reaction amplification of a fragment of about 1,200 bp of the MOMP gene, followed by restriction endonuclease digestion with the aforementioned enzymes. From the 15 serovars, we obtained 14 different patterns; 13 profiles were serovar specific, while serovars B and Ba presented the same pattern. Application of this typing method to C. trachomatis strains isolated from clinical material gave the same results as the immunotyping method for 14 of 17 strains. Furthermore, restriction endonuclease analysis detected differences within a serovar. This method seems to be promising for epidemiological studies.