Deletion-targeted multiplex PCR (DTM-PCR) for identification of Beijing/W genotypes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Beijing/W strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cause the vast majority of tuberculosis cases in Shanghai, China. Such highly prevalent strains are considered as hypervirulent and are often associated with multi-drug resistance, treatment failure and HIV status. We present a reliable and fast detection method to identify these Beijing/W strains, which can be applied to screening large numbers of samples at low cost. Using this Deletion-Targeted Multiplex PCR (DTM-PCR) method for detecting these strains, we obtained 100% sensitivity and specificity.