A DNA primer/probe system for the rapid and sensitive detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis‐complex pathogens

Abstract

A 1.5 kb EcoRI-BamHI restriction fragment from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was found to hybridize specifically with genomic DNA from M. tuberculosis-complex organisms. Primers were designed from the terminal sequences of this fragment and used to amplify uniquely M. tuberculosis-group DNA in a polymerase chain reaction. It is suggested that a combination of these primers and probe will prove a useful tool for the early diagnosis of tuberculous infections.

Characterization of a DNA probe for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in clinical samples by polymerase chain reaction

“…Previously published protocols used PCR to detect mycobacterial gene sequences that code for rRNA (1) or proteins such as those of 65 kDa (4), 38 kDa (20), 24 kDa (12); proteins MPB64 (13) or MPB70 (9); or insertional elements such as IS6110 (11) and IS986 (12). Other systems use repetitive sequences (10) or specific fragments like EcoRI-BamHI (17). Our primers were derived from a unique, 318-bp cloned fragment of M. tuberculosis DNA that functions as a highly specific probe for the organism.…”

Differentiation between Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium bovis by a multiplex‐polymerase chain reaction

“…1988) have allowed the direct detection of mycobacteria from clinical samples or from culture and the differentiation between related micro-organisms (de Wit et al 1990;Eisenach et ul. 1991 ;Ralphs et al 1991). A PCR assay based on the amplification of both a portion of the single copy gene gvoEL, present in all mycobacterial species (Brisson-Noel et u1.…”