title: Gene chip array for differentiation of mycobacterial species and detection of drug resistance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Gene chip array can differentiate isolated mycobacterial strains using various mycobacterium specific probes simultaneously. Gene chip array can evaluate drug resistance to isoniazid and rifampin of tuberculosis strains by detecting drug resistance related gene mutation. This technique has great potential for clinical application. We performed a retrospective study to investigate the capability of gene chip array in the rapid differentiation of species and detection of drug resistance in mycobacterium, and to evaluate its clinical efficacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We selected 39 patients (54 clinical mycobacterium isolates), used gene chip array to identify the species of these isolates and detect drug resistance to isoniazid and rifampin in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates. Meanwhile, these patients' clinical data were analyzed retrospectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among these 39 patients whose mycobacterium culture were positive, 32 patients' isolates were identified as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, all of them were clinical infection. Seven patients' isolates were identified as non-tuberculosis mycobacterium. Analyzed with their clinical data, only two patients were considered as clinical infection, both of them were diagnosed as hematogenous disseminated Mycobacterium introcellulare infection. The other five patients' isolates were of no clinical significance; their clinical samples were all respiratory specimens. Clinical manifestations of tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial infections were similar. Isoniazid resistance was detected in two tuberculosis patients, while rifampin resistance was detected in one tuberculosis patient; there was another patient whose Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolate was resistant to both isoniazid and rifampin (belongs to multidrug resistance tuberculosis). The fact that this patient did not respond to routine anti-tuberculosis chemotherapy also confirmed this result.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gene chip array may be a simple, rapid, and reliable method for the identification of most mycobacterial species and detection of drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is useful in diagnosis, treatment, and hospital infection control of mycobacterial infections, and it may have a great potential for clinical application.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-chun
authors.initials: XC
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Xiao-qing
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiu-li
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Ying-chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhi-xian
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Zhao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000995:Antitubercular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007538:Isoniazid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D012293:Rifampin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018088:Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant / Q000235:genetics; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000995:Antitubercular Agents; D007538:Isoniazid; D012293:Rifampin