TY - JOUR KW - Animals KW - Armadillos KW - Blotting, Southern KW - DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase KW - Electrophoresis, Agar Gel KW - leprosy KW - Liver KW - Mycobacterium leprae KW - Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques KW - polymerase chain reaction AU - Hartskeerl R A AU - Wit M Y AU - Klatser P R AB -

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using heat-stable Taq polymerase is described for the specific detection of Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy. A set of primers was selected on the basis of the nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding the 36 kDa antigen of M. leprae. With this set of primers in the PCR, M. leprae could be detected specifically with a detection limit approximating one bacterium. This PCR appears to meet the criteria of specificity and sensitivity required for a useful tool in epidemiology and eventually for the control of leprosy.

BT - Journal of general microbiology C1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2697743?dopt=Abstract DA - 1989 Sep DO - 10.1099/00221287-135-9-2357 IS - 9 J2 - J. Gen. Microbiol. LA - eng N2 -

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using heat-stable Taq polymerase is described for the specific detection of Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy. A set of primers was selected on the basis of the nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding the 36 kDa antigen of M. leprae. With this set of primers in the PCR, M. leprae could be detected specifically with a detection limit approximating one bacterium. This PCR appears to meet the criteria of specificity and sensitivity required for a useful tool in epidemiology and eventually for the control of leprosy.

PY - 1989 SP - 2357 EP - 64 T2 - Journal of general microbiology TI - Polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Mycobacterium leprae. UR - http://mic.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-135-9-2357 VL - 135 SN - 0022-1287 ER -