Sequence analysis and amplification by polymerase chain reaction of a cloned DNA fragment for identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Analysis of the 1,016-base-pair sequence of a putative probe for identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis revealed two almost identical fragments of 507 and 509 bases. From this sequence two pairs of primers were synthesized (MtbAB and MtbCD), ranging from 18 to 22 nucleotides, for use in polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) with DNA from six reference strains of M. tuberculosis, as well as type strains of M. bovis, M. bovis BCG, M. kansasii, M. avium, M. intracellulare, and M. scrofulaceum. Although there was amplification of DNA from all mycobacterial strains included in the study, when used as probes, a predominant band, fragment CD from M. tuberculosis H37Rv DNA, proved to be more specific for strains of M. tuberculosis than the original probe, pMTb4, was. Amplified fragments from as little as 1 fg of DNA (equivalent to one-fifth of an organism) could be resolved on ethidium bromide-stained gels loaded with a 1/10 volume of PCR. Furthermore, it was possible to amplify specific DNA sequences from frozen M. tuberculosis H37Rv organisms which were thawed prior to PCR.