Fak. Elzaatari et al., DETECTION OF MYCOBACTERIUM-AVIUM COMPLEX IN CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID OF A SARCOID PATIENT BY SPECIFIC POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION ASSAYS, Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases, 29(2), 1997, pp. 202-204
The etiology of sarcoidosis is unknown, but it has long been suspected
to be mycobacterial. In the present study, we used 4 mycobacterial sp
ecies-specific polymerase chain reaction assays on cerebrospinal fluid
obtained from a patient with neurosarcoidosis. Positive hybridization
was observed with both the Mycobacterium avium complex probe and the
insertion element IS900-specific probe that has been found in M. parat
uberculosis species. There was no hybridization with M. tuberculosis o
r M. avium woodpigeon strain-specific probes. This case report demonst
rates that M. paratuberculosis or some closely related M. avium spp wh
ich perhaps also carry IS900, or contain closely related DNA sequences
, are associated with at least some cases of sarcoidosis disease.