POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION FOR THE DIFFERENTIATION OF MYCOBACTERIUM-INTRACELLULARE AND MYCOBACTERIUM-AVIUM

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was performed using DNA purified from 15 mycobacterial type strains and from 21 specimens isol ated from patients suspected to have non-tuberculous mycobacterial dis eases. Using a primer set of MTB1-MTB2, 11 specimens out of 21 were My cobacterium avium and 8 were M. intracellulare, which were verified by the Gen Probe Rapid Diagnostic System for the M. avium complex (MAC). One of the remaining 2 specimens which did not hybridize with the pro be for the MAC was identified as M. kansasii and the other was not spe cifically identified by the conventional culture method. PCR amplifica tion, using a primer set of TB1-TB3, was also performed for the specif ic identification of M. tuberculosis complex.