Comparative evaluation of IS6110 PCR via conventional methods in rapid diagnosis of new and previously treated cases of extrapulmonary tuberculosis

In developing countries the diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is a major burning challenge. EPTB encounters many problems like pauci-bacillary nature, inadequate specimen volume. All the limitations reflect in the poor contribution of conventional bacteriological technique in the establishment of diagnosis of EPTB. Nucleic acid amplification methods are rapid and sensitive has modified strategies for the detection of mycobacterial DNA. A fragment of DNA of 123 bp belonging to insertion sequence IS6110 based on specific gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the rapid diagnosis of EPTB. The present study was to comparative evaluation of IS6110 PCR via conventional methods in the rapid diagnosis of new and Previously treated cases of extra pulmonary tuberculosis. Four hundred fifty specimens were collected from suspected cases of EPTB were processed for Mycobacteria by Zeihl Neelson (ZN) staining and BACTEC culture for M. tuberculosis. All the specimens were also processed for IS6110 based PCR amplification with primers targeting 123 bp fragment of insertion element IS6110 of M. tuberculosis complex. We found significant difference was seen in sensitivities of different tests. Of these 450 specimens, 60 (13.4%) were positive for AFB by ZN staining, 202 (45%) for BACTEC culture and IS6110 PCR were positive for M. tuberculosis complex in 283 (63%) specimens (p< 0.05). However, there was no significant difference (p< 0.05) as far as specificity of different tests. We found that IS6110 PCR has higher sensitivity than smear microscopy and BACTEC culture in both cases of new cases as well as in previously treated cases. IS6110 PCR can be highly useful in diagnosis of new and treated cases of EPTB. It may facilitate therapeutic decisions for those with suspected of EPTB.     

Evaluation of real time polymerase chain reaction targeting mpb64 gene for diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis

BackgroundPaucibacillary nature of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) has paved way for molecular methods increasingly being used for diagnosis. We undertook a study for evaluation of sensitivity and specificity of real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) targeting mpb64 gene for diagnosis of EPTB.MethodsA total of 152 clinical samples from suspected cases of EPTB were included in this study. All samples were extracted using spin column based commercial DNA extraction kit and were subjected to RT-PCR targeting mpb64 and IS6110. Smear and culture was also done for samples whenever quantity was sufficient. Cytology report was noted from hospital information system. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was done for determining cut-off Ct value for mpb64 RT-PCR. Melt curve analysis was done for samples whose cycle threshold (Ct) value was more than 37. The sensitivity and specificity of the mpb64 RT-PCR was calculated using a composite gold standard i.e., positive for one or more of the following: microscopy (including fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), acid-fast bacilli positivity), culture and IS6110 RT-PCR.ResultsOut of the 152 samples, 72 (47.4%) were positive for tuberculosis by composite gold standard. Samples consisted of ascitic fluid (12), CSF (35), pus (23), lymph node aspirate (35), pleural fluid (37), synovial fluid (4), urine (1), pericardial fluid (1) and tissue bits (4). Microscopy (AFB smear including lymph node aspirate) was done for 124 samples of which 43 (34.7%) were positive. Culture results were available for 79 samples, 25 (31.6%) of which were positive and 42 (27.6%) of the 152 samples were positive by IS6110 PCR. Based on ROC and melt curve analysis, mpb64 RT-PCR was able to detect 38 (52.8%) of the 72 positive samples. In comparison to IS6110 RT PCR, 4 additional cases were detected by mpb64 RT-PCR. Compared to composite gold standard mpb64 showed overall sensitivity of 52.8%.ConclusionThe mpb64 RT-PCR is highly specific or MTB and can be used as a supplemental test for diagnosis of EPTB along with other diagnostic tests. However the overall sensitivity of mpb64 RT-PCR is too low to be used as an independent test for diagnosis of EPTB. Combining the results of IS6110 RT PCR and mpb64 RT PCR improved the overall sensitivity and hence mpb64 can be used as an additional target for diagnosis of EPTB.     

Development and evaluation of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from pulmonary specimens

Abstract Background: The diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis is still a major challenge. Using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR), one can detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples within a few hours. However, single gene targets may result in false negativity due to the absence of target DNA in some M. tuberculosis isolates. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a multiplex PCR (M-PCR) using IS6110 and devR primers for the detection of M. tuberculosis in sputum samples. Methods: Sputum samples were collected from: (1) 200 confirmed cases of tuberculosis; (2) 100 suspected cases of tuberculosis diagnosed on the basis of clinical and radiological findings; (3) 200 non-tubercular patients suffering from respiratory diseases other than tuberculosis, in whom tuberculosis had been excluded. All 500 sputum samples were subjected to PCR using IS6110 primers, and M-PCR using IS6110 and devR primers; results were compared with conventional techniques. Results: It was found that M-PCR was 97.5% successful in detecting the presence of tuberculosis in the confirmed tuberculosis group as compared to 84.5% by IS6110-based PCR. In the suspected tuberculosis group, M-PCR could detect 45% of cases as compared to 40% by IS6110-based PCR. Overall, the specificities of both the PCR and M-PCR were found to be 96.5%. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the M-PCR assay is more sensitive than the IS6110-based PCR for the detection of M. tuberculosis in sputum specimens and could be applied in situations of highly suspected tuberculosis when all others tests including IS6110 PCR are negative.     

Diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis: clinical and laboratory parameters.

BACKGROUND: Confirming the clinical suspicion of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) has always been problematic. Whilst smear and culture positivity are diagnostic, these tests have low sensitivity. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay has given variable results. AIM: This study attempted to improve the diagnostic yield by: (a) increasing the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) volumes; (b) testing the yield from three specimens of CSF assumed to represent lumbar, cervico-thoracic cord, and base of brain CSF samples; (c) undertaking PCR assays using multiple primer sets; and (d) using real-time PCR. METHOD: Patients suspected of having cranial or spinal meningeal tuberculosis were entered into the study. Three aliquots of CSF were subjected to smear, culture, and conventional and real-time PCR. Three sets of primers - IS6110, MPB64, and PT8/9 - were used. Patients were retrospectively classified into four categories: 'definite TB' (culture positive), 'probable TB' (clinical and other tests suggestive of TB), 'not TB', and 'uncertain diagnosis'. RESULTS: A total of 68 patients were studied. There were 20 patients classified as definite TB, 24 probable TB, 17 not TB, and seven uncertain diagnosis. Forty-eight of 57 (84.2%) patients tested were HIV seropositive. The IS6110 PCR was positive in 27 patients which included 18/20 culture positive cases, six in the probable TB group, and three in the not TB group. The MPB64 and PT8/9 primers did not increase the yield. Real-time PCR was positive in seven additional patients. Combining the definite and probable TB, the sensitivity of all PCR assays was 70.5% (31/44) and specificity 87.5% (21/24). CONCLUSION: Targeting multiple sites of the TB genome using conventional PCR did not increase the number of positive cases. Real-time PCR was more sensitive. However, all the current techniques are still too insensitive to confidently exclude the diagnosis on laboratory grounds.     

Evaluation of Amplicor- and IS6110-PCR for direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in Singapore

One hundred and seventy-eight samples from 168 individuals were tested for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex ( Mtc ) using Amplicor PCR, IS6110 -PCR (in-house), acid fast (AF)-staining and culture. Thirty-one samples were positive by culture, but 37 samples were later resolved to be truly positive for Mtc . Of these, Amplicor detected 32 (86.5%), IS6110 -PCR detected 31 (83.6%), and AF-staining 21 (56.8%). None of the 141 Mtc -negative samples was positive by these tests, thus giving 100% specificity. Although the IS6110 -PCR was more sensitive than Amplicor in detecting spiked Mtc DNA, it was not more sensitive than the latter in detecting Mtc in clinical samples. Reasons likely to account for the PCR false negativity were (i) sample inoculum size, (ii) nonuniform samples due to clumping effect of Mtc and (iii) the absence of target gene sequences for IS6110 -PCR. Culture negativity, on the other hand, was likely to be associated with nonviable Mtc . Amplicor PCR is promising for direct detection of Mtc . The IS6110 -PCR, however, may not be as suitable because of possible existence of IS6110- deleted Mtc strain in Singapore.     

Detection of M. tuberculosis in clinical samples of diversified nature by IS6110 based PCR

Performance of the polymerase chain reaction technique based on IS6110 sequence was evaluated in clinical samples obtained from pulmonary and extrapulmonary cases of tuberculosis. One hundred and seventy two samples were processed for detection of M. tuberculosis by ZN stained smear examination, LJ medium culture, BACTEC radiometric culture and PCR tests amplifying 123bp region of IS6110 sequence. A significant difference was seen in the sensitivities of different tests, the figures being 83% for PCR test, 35.2% for smear examination, 47.16% for LJ culture and 53.45% for BACTEC culture (p < 0.05). However, no significant difference was found as far as specificity was concerned. PCR test sensitivity in. pulmonary and extrapulmonary clinical samples were 90.14% and 77.27% respectively and found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) when compared with those of other tests. The mean detection time for M. tuberculosis was 24.03 days by LJ medium culture, 12.89 days by BACTEC culture and less than one day by PCR test. PCR based on IS6100 sequence is highly sensitive method for the early diagnosis of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis.     

The IS6110 repetitive DNA element of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is not detected in exhaled breath condensate of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: A large tertiary referral hospital in inner-city Chicago. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the IS6110 repetitive DNA element of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is detected in exhaled breath condensate of patients with newly diagnosed active pulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS: Ten hospitalized patients with positive Ziehl-Neelson-stained sputum smears were studied. Concurrent sputum cultures for mycobacteria were performed as well. Exhaled breath condensate was collected from each patient within 6 days of initiating antituberculosis chemotherapy (median 1.5 days). These samples were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using primers designed to amplify the IS6110 DNA fragment of M. tuberculosis. Exogenous M. tuberculosis DNA was added to exhaled breath condensate samples to detect PCR inhibitors. Concurrent cultures of exhaled breath condensate for mycobacteria were performed. RESULTS:M. tuberculosis was identified in 9 of 10 sputum cultures. One isolate was identified as Mycobacterium kansasii. The IS6110 repetitive DNA element of M. tuberculosis was not detected in any of the 10 exhaled breath condensate samples. Exogenous M. tuberculosis DNA added to these samples elicited the characteristic band pattern of M. tuberculosis on agarose gel electrophoresis. No PCR inhibitors were detected. Cultures of exhaled breath condensate showed no growth of mycobacteria. CONCLUSIONS: The IS6110 repetitive DNA element of M. tuberculosis is not detected in exhaled breath condensate of patients with newly diagnosed active pulmonary tuberculosis.     

一种直接检测结核病痰标本的PCR技术的建立与评价

目的建立并评价聚合酶链式反应(polymerase chain reaction,PCR)在结核病痰标本检测中的应用价值。方法根据结核分枝杆菌复合体IS6110序列设计引物INS1和INS2,并建立PCR反应体系和反应条件。运用PCR方法分别检测标准菌株、结核分枝杆菌PCR检测标准品和拟诊结核病患者痰标本,采用痰涂片和细菌培养为对照。结果比较的统计学分析采用卡方检验。结果PCR方法对结核分枝杆菌、牛分枝杆菌、卡介苗标准株的最小检出浓度分别达到102,103,103个细菌/毫升,能够特异地检出结核分枝杆菌复合体。在PCR检测的574例拟诊病例中,PCR检测阳性病例241例,42%;痰涂片和细菌培养的阳性率分别为19.69%和26.31%,PCR检测阳性率高于传统细菌学检验方法,经χ2检验,差异具有显著统计学意义(χ2=103.67,P<0.01)。以痰培养结果为标准,计算PCR检测方法的敏感度为67.53%。结论PCR检测方法与传统的细菌学检测方法相比可以提高阳性标本检出率,而且具有快速、特异、简便的特点,有望成为结核病大规模筛查和临床快速检测方法。     

Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples using insertion sequences IS6110 and IS990

To detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples, we used the M. tuberculosis-complex specific insertion sequence IS990 as the target in a simple DIG-PCR ELISA assay, as this element is present as a single copy in all strains of M. tuberculosis we have examined to date. The IS990 test was compared with a similar PCR that utilizes IS6110 as target. For detection of PCR product, digoxigenin-11-dUTP (DIG-dUTP) was incorporated into the product. After amplification, the PCR product was hybridized with biotinylated capture probe, which was complementary to the inner part of the amplicon. The hybrid was captured onto streptavidin-coated microtiter plate and DIG-labeled PCR product was detected using a peroxidase-conjugated antibody to DIG. We evaluated DIG-PCR ELISA for the detection of M. tuberculosis DNA in 265 respiratory and non-respiratory specimens taken from patients with known and suspected tuberculosis disease or from controls. The sensitivity and specificity of both IS990-based test and IS6110-based test was 96.5% and 95.3% respectively, comparable to the sensitivity and specificity of the IS6110-based test. The results demonstrate that the IS990 PCR ELISA test is a rapid and sensitive tool for the detection and identification of M. tuberculosis in clinical samples, and may have advantages to the more widely used IS6110-based tests, particularly in areas where IS6110-negative strains are found.     

The relative frequency of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium avium infections in HIV positive patients, Ahvaz, Iran

ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) and Mycobacterium avium (M. avium) infections in HIV-positive patients suspected to have pulmonary and extrapulmonary mycobacterial co-infection using PCR technique.MethodsTotally 50 samples comprising sputum, pleural fluid and CSF taken from HIV positive patients suspected to have mycobacterial infection, were processed. The demographic information and results of acid fast staining and culture were recorded for each patient. The PCR for detecting of M. tuberculosis comprised of specific primers targeting IS6110 gene sequence. For detecting of M. avium, PCR with primers that amplifies the mig gene were used.ResultsFrom 50 samples processed, 45 were sputum (90%), 3 pleural fluid (6%) and 2 CSF (4%). In total, 8 (16%) were culture positive, 7 had positive acid fast staining (14 %) and 13 samples (26%) were positive using PCR technique. All the positive samples were sputum and belonged to patients with pulmonary infection. Of these, 9 were positive for M. tuberculosis (69.2%) and 4 were identified as M. avium (30.8%), which 2 out of 13 positive samples showed mixed infections by both mycobacteria.ConclusionsThe PCR shows the highest detection rate (26%) of mycobacteria compared with culture and acid fast staining. The majority of infections were with M. tuberculosis (18%) and this shows the importance of this mycobacterial co-infection in HIV positive patients in the region of study.     

结核分枝杆菌IS6110序列在石蜡组织中的检测、克隆与测序

目的：探讨套式-聚合酶链反应（Nested-PCR)检测石蜡组织中结核分枝杆菌的特异性和敏感性。方法：采用套式-PCR检测石蜡包埋组织中结核菌复合体特异插入序列IS6110，并对部分标本的PCR产物进行克隆和测序。结果：31例结核标本石蜡组织检出结核菌DNA共28例，套式-PCR的敏感度为90.3%,特异度为100%。阳性预测值为100%。随机选取两例PCR产物没是序结果与结核菌标准株H37Rv同源性分别为97%和95.3%。结论：套式-PCR检测常规石蜡包埋组织中结核菌IS6110序列具有特异性强和敏感性高的特点，可应用于临床诊断，尤其是对那些常规苏木精-伊红染色和抗酸染色无法确诊的病例更具意义。     

Evaluation of a polymerase chain reaction for the diagnosis of tuberculosis

A polymerase chain reaction for the specific detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been developed and evaluated for clinical applicability. Primers were designed to amplify a 240 base pair region in the MPB 64 protein coding gene (nts 460-700). From among 15 different DNA templates tested (including 10 species of mycobacteria) PCR amplified the DNA from M. tuberculosis complex only, demonstrating its exquisite specificity. Sensitivity studies using serial ten-fold dilutions of M. tuberculosis bacilli determined the limit of detectability to be 10 organisms. A total of 143 clinical specimens were analysed. This consisted of 26 known non-tuberculous specimens (control group) and 117 specimens received at the Tuberculosis Diagnostic Service of AIIMS (test group). None of the specimens in the control group was positive by PCR. Out of 117 specimens in the test group, 19 were culture positive for mycobacteria and 17 of these isolates were identified as M. tuberculosis. All the specimens from which M. tuberculosis was grown were also PCR positive. The remaining two isolates were identified as mycobacteria other than M. tuberculosis and these two specimens were PCR negative. An additional 14 culture negative specimens were PCR positive yielding an overall M. tuberculosis positivity rate of 26.5% (31/117) compared to 14.5% (17/117) by culture. The superior sensitivity of PCR over culture was more evident in non-pulmonary cases where PCR picked up 10 cases in addition to three culture positives out of 69 specimens. On the other hand, out of 48 pulmonary specimens only four cases in addition to 14 culture positives were picked up by PCR.     

Rapid and efficient detection of extra-pulmonary Mycobacterium tuberculosis by PCR analysis.

SETTING: The diagnosis of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) remains an important clinical problem, primarily because of the inadequate sensitivity of conventional bacteriologic methods for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis in extra-pulmonary specimens. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether a IS6110-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method can be utilized to detect M. tuberculosis in non-pulmonary specimens. DESIGN: Specimens from 286 Mexican patients with a presumptive clinical diagnosis of EPTB were prospectively examined by Ziehl-Neelsen staining, mycobacterial culture on L?wenstein-Jensen slants, and by PCR. The DNA for PCR was extracted by the buffer lysis method and phenol-guanidine thiocyanate-chloroform. Primers that amplify a 200 bp fragment from the insertion-like M. tuberculosis sequence element IS6110 were utilized. RESULTS: Our results demonstrate that this PCR method is highly specific (100%) for identifying M. tuberculosis from a variety of specimens including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), pleural fluid, ascitic fluid, pericardial fluid, urine, and lymph node exudate. Moreover, the sensitivity of PCR for detecting M. tuberculosis in CSF (94%), pleural fluid (94%), ascitic fluid and other extrapulmonary specimens (93%) greatly exceeds the sensitivity of conventional smear and culture methods. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that PCR can be a highly specific and sensitive aid in the detection of M. tuberculosis from extra-pulmonary specimens.     

rpoB mutations as an epidemiologic marker in rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

SETTING: Cases of rifampin-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis from the prison population in Madrid and from the general population in Spain. OBJECTIVE: To identify the rpoB mutations associated with resistance to rifampin and to investigate rpoB genotyping as an epidemiological marker in rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis. DESIGN: Twenty-nine rifampin-resistant clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis, 15 obtained from the prison population in Madrid and 14 from the general population in Spain, were characterized by sequence analysis of the 81-bp core region of the rpoB gene and IS6110 DNA fingerprinting. RESULTS: All the isolates had mutations in rpoB, with those in codon 531 accounting for 41% of the total. Twenty-three (79%) isolates were highly resistant to rifampin (minimum inhibitory concentration > or = 64 mg/L). Nineteen different IS6110 fingerprints were observed: one was shared by seven isolates, one by three, two by two, and 15 were unique. Two IS6110 clusters could be divided into subclusters on the basis of rpoB analysis. Epidemiologic links were identified among patients whose isolates had identical IS6110 patterns and rpoB genotypes, but not between those with identical IS6110 patterns and different rpoB genotypes. CONCLUSION: Characterization of rpoB mutations can provide information about susceptibility to rifampin and be a useful epidemiological tool for discrimination of rifampin-resistant strains of M. tuberculosis with identical IS6110 fingerprints.     

Evaluation of polymerase chain reaction, tuberculostearic acid analysis, and direct microscopy for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum.

Tuberculosis remains a major global cause of morbidity and mortality. There is an urgent need for improved bacteriologic diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Three methods for rapid identification of M. tuberculosis in sputum samples (direct microscopy, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry [GC-MS], and polymerase chain reaction [PCR]), were compared with culture on Lowenstein-Jensen medium. Growth of M. tuberculosis was observed in 38 of 145 sputum samples. Detection of acid-fast bacilli by direct microscopy gave a sensitivity of 66% and a specificity of 100%. Detection of tuberculostearic acid by GC-MS gave a sensitivity of 55% and a specificity of 87%. Amplification by PCR of a fragment of the insertion sequence IS6110 gave a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 93% compared with culture and a corrected specificity of 99% compared with both culture and clinical data. This study indicates that PCR can be adapted for clinical use and is the method of choice for rapid diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.     

Specificity of insertion sequence-based PCR assays for mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the specificity of different insertion sequence-targeted polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. DESIGN: One M. bovis BCG strain, two M. tuberculosis strains and ten species of mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT) were tested by three PCR assays based on the repetitive elements IS6110, IS1081 and IS990 under variable amplification conditions (different temperatures of primer annealing and numbers of reaction cycles). RESULTS: DNA amplifications based on the three insertion sequences yielded fragments of expected sizes only in DNA from M. tuberculosis complex strains when the tests were conducted at high stringency (65 degrees C). At the annealing temperature of 60 degrees C the PCR assay with IS6110-specific primers yielded a 245 bp fragment also in nine MOTT strains tested. This could result from previously reported homology between non-tuberculous mycobacteria and a central region of IS6110. Amplification assays based on IS1081 and IS990 gave false-positive results in some MOTT isolates only under very low stringency (55 degrees C), which could be due to non-specific priming of the target DNA at that temperature. CONCLUSION: Repetitive elements IS1081 and IS990 may represent a more reliable alternative to the more widely used IS6110 PCR target for tuberculosis diagnosis.     

应用多重聚合酶链反应法检测并鉴别结核分支杆菌与非结核分支杆菌DNA

OBJECTIVE: To improve the specificity and sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for detecting and identification of DNA of M. tuberculosis and M. nontuberculosis. METHOD: Three pairs of oligonucleotide primer were used in triplex-PCR. A 383 bp DNA fragment encoding part of the 65,000 mycobacterial surface antigen, a 123 bp fragment corresponding to a specific M. tuberculosis complex sequence which was the insertion sequence 6110 (IS 6110) and a 268 bp fragment for human beta-globin were amplified by triplex-PCR respectively. RESULT: The sensitivity of the triplex-PCR-electrophoresis for the DNA of mycobacterium was 0.6 pg. The specific bands of 383 bp and 123 bp among the amplified DNA from M. hominis, M. bovis, BCG and M. simiae were present in the agarose gel. By contrast, only a band of 383 bp was found among the M. nontuberculosis which contained M. avium, M. chelonae, M. scrofulaceum, M. xenopi, M. kansasii, M. intracellulare and M. smegmatis. Compared with the standard strains, there was an additional 268 bp band in simulated clinical samples infected by Mycobacterium. The above 3 specific bands were found neither in other 15 bacterial species tested nor in Mycoplasma pneumoniae. 182 clinical samples were examined by culture, smear and triplex-PCR. 72 nontuberculous clinical samples were all negative. In 110 tuberculosis clinical samples, the positive rates were 2.7%, 13.6% and 32.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The triplex-PCR possesses a high specificity and sensitivity. This method could detect and identify the DNA of M. tuberculosis and M. nontuberculosis except M. simiae. It is a valuable tool for early diagnosis and differentiation for infection of M. tuberculosis and M. nontuberculosis.     

MPB64分泌蛋白检测鉴定结核分枝杆菌复合群的应用研究

目的 对应用MPB64分泌蛋白检测鉴定结核分枝杆菌复合群进行方法学评价.方法 对临床分离菌株,取BacT/ALERT 3D系统的液体培养液或改良罗氏固体培养基分离培养菌落室温静置约2 h、浊度为1麦氏单位的生理盐水菌悬液0.1 ml为检测样本,应用胶体金标记抗MPB64单克隆抗体采用免疫层析色谱法进行MPB64分泌蛋白检测,而后与菌种鉴定结果相比较.对参考菌株,则同时采用两种样本进行检测.结果 对23株分枝杆菌参考菌株、267株临床分离菌株进行了检测.①对于参考菌株的两种样本,MPB64检测结果均为:结核分枝杆菌、牛分枝杆菌、田鼠分枝杆菌菌株阳性,其他20株非结核分枝杆菌为阴性.分群鉴定准确度为100%.②在111株BacT/ALERT 3D系统分离培养临床株中,55株为结核分枝杆菌,其中51株MPB64检测阳性;56株为非结核分枝杆菌,其中54株MPB64检测阴性.分群鉴定准确度为94.59%.③在156株改良罗氏培养基分离培养临床菌株中,121株为结核分枝杆菌,其中115株MPB64检测阳性;35株为非结核分枝杆菌,MPB64检测全部阴性.分群鉴定准确度为96.15%.④对于所有研究样本,应用MPB64分泌蛋白检测鉴定结核分枝杆菌复合群的敏感度、特异度与准确度分别为94.41%、98.20%和95.86%.结论 应用MPB64分泌蛋白检测鉴定结核分枝杆菌复合群是一种准确、快速、简便而又不需要任何仪器设备的实用型方法,值得临床推广应用.     

Simple microplate hybridization assay for detection of amplified products of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

We describe a simple microplate hybridization assay for the rapid detection of the IS6110 PCR products of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from clinical cultures and from sputum specimens. The assay is based on the specific detection with a fluorescein-labeled detection probe of biotinylated PCR products which are captured on avidin coated microplate. Hybridized products with fluorescein were identified by using anti-fluorescein antibody, horseradish peroxidase conjugate and colorimetric peroxidase substrate. The specificity of the assay was assessed by analysis of 56 bacterial strains: the assay discriminated perfectly between the positive and negative groups when an OD490 of 0.18 was used as the cut-off point. The assay was sensitive enough to detect as little as 1 pg of M. tuberculosis H37Rv DNA, which is equivalent to approximately three bacilli. To evaluate the assay performance clinically, 190 sputum samples from newly diagnosed TB patients were tested; 79 were classified as TB positive, and 111 were classified as TB negative by culture and acid-fast staining as the 'gold standard'. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the PCR-microplate hybridization assay were 90, 100 and 96%, respectively. The total assay time of hybridization following the PCR was 4 hours. The PCR-microplate hybridization assay is fast, simple and accurate and is suitable for use in the microbiology laboratory or for the analysis of large numbers of samples.     

Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum samples using a polymerase chain reaction

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum samples is described. The target DNA is a 123-base pair (bp) segment of IS6110, which is repeated in the M. tuberculosis chromosome and is specific for the M. tuberculosis complex. Methodology used to lyse the mycobacteria, extract the DNA, and amplify the 123-bp target DNA is presented. The amplified PCR product is detected by examination of ethidium-bromide-stained acrylamide gels. An internal control using the same primers as the target DNA has been constructed to assess the efficacy of each individual reaction. Of 162 sputum samples tested, 82 were smear-positive for acid-fast bacilli. Of the 94 specimens from patients in whom pulmonary tuberculosis was diagnosed, 51 were culture-positive, smear-positive, or both. Fifty of these were PCR positive. Of the 42 specimens from patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease, 41 were PCR negative. All 26 specimens from patients without mycobacterial infection were PCR negative. This assay provides a sensitive and specific means for the laboratory diagnosis of tuberculosis within 48 h that is relatively simple to perform.