SETTING: Nine French laboratories routinely involved in mycobacterial work. OBJECTIVE: To assess the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in experimental samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the insertion sequence IS6110 as a target for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) amplification. DESIGN: Nine laboratories participated in a blind study of the detection of M. tuberculosis by PCR in 20 coded samples containing either a definite number of M. tuberculosis complex (positive samples) or environmental mycobacteria (four samples) or no mycobacteria (five samples). RESULTS: Five laboratories reported false-positive PCR results, with an average rate of 7%. All laboratories except one reported positive PCR results for samples containing 10(5) cfu/ml or more. M. tuberculosis DNA was detected in two thirds of samples containing 10(4) and 10(3) cfu/ml, and in one third of the samples containing 10(2) cfu/ml. CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggest that PCR using IS6110 as a target for DNA amplication is neither very sensitive nor really specific for the detection of M. tuberculosis.
SETTING: Nine French laboratories routinely involved in mycobacterial work. OBJECTIVE: To assess the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in experimental samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the insertion sequence IS6110 as a target for deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) amplification. DESIGN: Nine laboratories participated in a blind study of the detection of M. tuberculosis by PCR in 20 coded samples containing either a definite number of M. tuberculosis complex (positive samples) or environmental mycobacteria (four samples) or no mycobacteria (five samples). RESULTS: Five laboratories reported false-positive PCR results, with an average rate of 7%. All laboratories except one reported positive PCR results for samples containing 10(5) cfu/ml or more. M. tuberculosis DNA was detected in two thirds of samples containing 10(4) and 10(3) cfu/ml, and in one third of the samples containing 10(2) cfu/ml. CONCLUSION: The results of the study suggest that PCR using IS6110 as a target for DNA amplication is neither very sensitive nor really specific for the detection of M. tuberculosis.
Authors: T J Hellyer; L E DesJardin; M L Beggs; Z Yang; K D Eisenach; M D Cave; J H Bates; M K Assaf; J T Crawford Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 1998-03 Impact factor: 5.948
Authors: O Cosivi; J M Grange; C J Daborn; M C Raviglione; T Fujikura; D Cousins; R A Robinson; H F Huchzermeyer; I de Kantor; F X Meslin Journal: Emerg Infect Dis Date: 1998 Jan-Mar Impact factor: 6.883