USE OF POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF TUBERCULOSIS IN CATS AND DOGS

Samples from four dogs and four cats suspected of having tuberculosis were processed for histopathology, bacterial culture and polymerase ch ain reaction (FCR). A simple, rapid method for the extraction of DNA f rom tissue samples was used in two PCR assays designed to confirm the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The PCR assays detected all the culture-pos itive samples from these animals and no false positive results were ob tained, The PCR technique was successful for the direct detection of o rganisms from the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and reduced the t ime needed for a diagnosis to two days.