01490nas a2200349   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001200055653002400067653001800091653001900109653002300128653001100151653001200162653002800174653001800202653002500220653003000245653003000275653002400305100001300329700001300342700001500355700001200370700001300382700001300395245008600408300001100494490000600505520061500511022001401126       1990                            d  c1990 Jun10aAnimals10aAntigens, Bacterial10aBase Sequence10aDNA, Bacterial10aGene Amplification10aHumans10aleprosy10aMolecular Sequence Data10aMycobacterium10aMycobacterium leprae10apolymerase chain reaction10aPredictive Value of Tests10aSpecies Specificity1 aHackel C1 aHouard S1 aPortaels F1 aElsen A1 aHerzog A1 aBollen A00aSpecific identification of Mycobacterium leprae by the polymerase chain reaction.  a205-100 v43 a<p>Oligonucleotide primers have been used to amplify DNA regions of the M. leprae genome by the polymerase chain reaction. A first set of primers, PLp1 and PLp2, identifies a specific 386 bp DNA fragment located in the gene coding for the 65 kDa antigen of M. leprae. A second pair of primers, targetted to the same gene, leads to the amplification of a 154 bp DNA piece conserved in mycobacteria. Primers PLp1 and PLp2 discriminate the pathogenic species from other mycobacteria, detect down to 40 bacilli, and constitute potentially useful tools for the identification of M. leprae in clinical specimens.</p>  a0890-8508