title: Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex and non-tuberculous mycobacteria by multiplex polymerase chain reactions.
abstract: The ability of two-band and three-band multiplex polymerase chain reactions to detect and differentiate Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex from non-tuberculous mycobacteria was evaluated. The polymerase chain reactions differentiated between M. tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria when standard strains and clinical isolates of mycobacteria were tested. The sensitivity of the two-band and three-band techniques to detect M. tuberculosis in clinical specimens, compared with smear and/or culture, was 88% and 75% respectively. Although both techniques showed 100% specificity, the superior sensitivity of the two-band technique suggests that it could be more useful in the diagnosis of tuberculosis and in differentiating M. tuberculosis complex from non-tuberculous mycobacteria.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait.
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Mustafa
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Abal
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Chugh
mesh_terms: D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000235:genetics*; D009164:Mycobacterium Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial