High-throughput screen for detecting antimycobacterial agents.

A simple, robust assay system which can be used to screen for inhibitors of mycobacterial growth has been developed. A strain of the rapidly growing saprophyte Mycobacterium aurum is used as the test organism. Inhibition of its growth is highly predictive of activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which cannot itself be used in screening because of its growth characteristics and highly infectious nature. The viability of M. aurum in the presence of a test sample is monitored by measuring the uptake of radiolabelled uracil into the cells. In a microtiter plate format, the screen has the potential for testing several thousand samples per day.