01849nas a2200313   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653002000055653003800075653002900113653001100142653001200153653002500165653001700190653001600207653001600223653003000239653002200269100001200291700001600303700001500319700001600334245009300350856007800443300001000521490000700531520098300538022001401521       1993                            d  c1993 Mar10aContact Tracing10aEnzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay10aFalse Positive Reactions10aHumans10aleprosy10aMycobacterium leprae10aNasal Mucosa10aNetherlands10aPhilippines10apolymerase chain reaction10aSpecimen Handling1 aWit M Y1 aDouglas J T1 aMcFadden J1 aKlatser P R00aPolymerase chain reaction for detection of Mycobacterium leprae in nasal swab specimens.  uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC262809/pdf/jcm00015-0042.pdf  a502-60 v313 a<p>The polymerase chain reaction based on the selective amplification of a 531-bp fragment of the gene encoding the proline-rich antigen of Mycobacterium leprae was applied to nasal swab specimens from leprosy patients, occupational contacts, and endemic and nonendemic controls. To prevent false-positive amplification, we used dUTP and uracil-DNA-glycosylase in all polymerase chain reactions. False-negative reactions were detected by using a 531-bp modified template as an internal control. Amplification products were found in 55% of untreated patients, in 19% of the occupational contacts, in 12% of endemic controls, and in none of the nonendemic controls. This study strongly suggests that not only leprosy patients but also healthy persons may carry M. leprae. We concluded that polymerase chain reaction is a reliable method to detect M. leprae in nasal specimens. The method holds promise for studying the spread and transmission of M. leprae within a population.</p>  a0095-1137