title: Construction of a bioluminescent mycobacterium and its use for assay of antimycobacterial agents.
abstract: To show, as a model system, that mycobacteria can express heterologous luciferase genes and that bioluminescence can be a rapid method of measuring antimycobacterial activity, a bioluminescent form of Mycobacterium smegmatis was made by transformation with a Mycobacterium-Escherichia coli shuttle vector containing the luxAB genes from Vibrio harveyi. The antimycobacterial effects of antibiotics and biocides could be assayed in real time by using bioluminescent M. smegmatis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Leicester, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: P W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Andrew
authors.forename: I S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics*; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008156:Luciferases