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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 05 1996, 1267-1269, Vol 34, No. 5
ZH Chen, WR Butler, BR Baumstark and DG Ahearn
Known DNA sequences coding for the 16S rRNAs of 14 slowly growing
Mycobacterium species were analyzed. Three sets of primers were
synthesized: MAV and MIN, for M. avium and M. intracellulare, respectively,
and MYCOB, for the slowly growing mycobacteria. Whole- cell DNAs of 14
reference species were extracted and amplified by PCR with the MYCOB, MAV,
and MIN primers. The MYCOB primer amplified a 0.9- kb segment from the DNAs
of all 14 species. The MAV and MIN primers each amplified one highly
specific 1.3-kb segment from the homologous DNA, respectively. DNAs from
each of 10 clinical isolates of M. avium and M. intracellulare identified
by conventional methods were amplified with the MYCOB as well as the MAV
and MIN primers; 9 of 10 isolates of each species were identified with
their respective primers. One isolate of M. intracellulare was subsequently
found to have been mislabeled. One isolate designated M. avium reacted only
with the MYCOB primer. The hypervariable region of this strain was shown by
DNA sequence analysis to be distinct from all known 16S rRNA sequences of
Mycobacterium spp. Our data indicate that the currently identified M.
avium-M. intracellulare complex includes strains genetically diverse from
M. avium and M. intracellulare.
Copyright © 1996 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Identification and differentiation of Mycobacterium avium and M. intracellulare by PCR
Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta 30302-4010, USA.
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