title: Line probe assay for rapid detection of mutations in the rpoB gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.
abstract: Detection of mutations in the rpoB gene of Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been reported to be an accurate predictor of rifampin resistance. DNA sequence analysis and screening methods such as single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and dideoxy fingerprinting are labor-intensive, expensive, or yield results that may prove difficult to interpret. We evaluated the accuracy of a commercial line probe assay for rapid identification and characterization of mutations in the rpoB gene in 72 isolates of M. tuberculosis, including 50 rifampin-resistant and 22 rifampin-susceptible strains. Ten distinct rpoB mutations were identified. Concordances with automated sequencing results and phenotypic rifampin susceptibility testing results were 99% and 93%, respectively. The results demonstrate the line probe assay to be a rapid (as short as 1 day) and informative tool for the early detection and characterization of rpoB mutations associated with rifampin resistance in a clinical laboratory setting.
authors.affiliation: Section of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Veterans General Hospital-Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: T S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: W K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000904:Antibiotics, Antitubercular / Q000494:pharmacology; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques; D009154:Mutation; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics*; D012293:Rifampin / Q000494:pharmacology; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D000904:Antibiotics, Antitubercular; D012293:Rifampin