Mutations in genes related to drug resistance in Mycobacterium leprae isolates from leprosy patients in Korea.
OBJECTIVE
Identification of the presence and drug resistance of Mycobacterium leprae is key to the diagnosis and treatment of leprosy in non-endemic country like Korea. The aim of this study was to screen the drug target DNA such as folP, rpoB, gyr, and 23S rRNA of drug resistance strain of M. leprae.


METHODS
Sequences of those genes were analyzed for the 104 bacterial index positive cases out of 171 leprosy patients in Korea using touchdown PCR, single stranded conformational polymorphism.


RESULTS
Twenty (19.2%) cases have shown the mutations in folP gene of dapsone-resistant M. leprae in which three (2.89%) cases were mutations in two genes, folP and rpoB, of multidrugs resistant strains to dapsone and rifampin, and two (1.92%) cases in folP and gyr genes of resistance to dapsone and oflaxacin, respectively. Besides double mutation for folP gene was one case (0.96%) and for rpoB gene one case, respectively. There was no mutant isolates in 23S rRNA gene against clarithromycin.


CONCLUSIONS
This result should leads to a better understanding of the status of multidrug resistant leprosy in Korea and may assist in the rapid diagnosis of drug resistant M. leprae and the choice of the appropriate treatment regimens.
You
Eun-Young
EY
Department of Emergency, Boramae Hospital, Seoul National University, 395 Shindaebang 2-Dong, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul 156-707, South Korea.
Kang
Tae Jin
TJ
Kim
Se-Kon
SK
Lee
Seong-Beom
SB
Chae
Gue-Tae
GT
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea; D007917:Leprostatic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007918:Leprosy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007917:Leprostatic Agents