| Summary: | 碩士 === 中國文化大學 === 應用化學研究所 === 86 === Mycobacteria infection are reemerging as important epidemic
disease for the last several decades worldwide. The increased
rate in mycobacterial infections has prompted the
development of more rapid and efficient ways to detect and
characterize mycobacteria spp., especially in the laboratory of
clinical microbiology. Two procedures have long been adopted for
the detection of acid-fast bacteria belonging to the
family of Mycobacteriaceae. One is the direct microscopic
examination of clinical specimen stained by Ziehl-Neelsen
method, which is rapid, but is relatively insensitive and less
specific. The other is a time-consuming culturing technique,
which takes 4 to8 weeks of culturing time. We have developed a
differential system based on the DNA-probing technology. The
specificity and sensitivity of the DNA probes prepared
from M. tuberculosis complex for detecting clinical samples are
theoretically high. This non-isotope labeling DNA hybridization
system should be suitable for laboratories that have a large
number of specimens or in situation where the disposal of
radioactive waste is a problem. The DNA probes, coupled to a
non-radioactive tracer, e.g. digoxigenin-labeling and
detection systems, has the potential to develop as a clinical
assay for the rapid, specific, and sensitive identification of
MTB or MOTT. Currently, we have isolated two mycobacterial DNA
fragments: one is specific for the MTB complex and the
other recognizes all other potentially pathogenic
mycobacteria. These DNA fragments will be prepared as DNA probes
to differentiate mycobacterial infection among the
large amount of clinical specimens.
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