Improved identification of rapidly growing mycobacteria by a 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer region PCR and capillary gel electrophoresis.

ABSTRACT: The identification of rapidly growing mycobacteria (RGM) remains problematic because of evolving taxonomy, limitations of current phenotypic methods and absence of a universal gene target for reliable speciation. This study evaluated a novel method of identification of RGM by amplification of the mycobacterial 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) followed by resolution of amplified fragments by capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE). Nineteen American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) Mycobacterium strains and 178 clinical isolates of RGM (12 species) were studied. All RGM ATCC strains generated unique electropherograms with no overlap with slowly growing mycobacteria species, including M. tuberculosis. A total of 47 electropherograms for the 178 clinical isolates were observed allowin

SUBMITTER: Gray TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4094492 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature