Inventors:
Jack T. Crawford - Atlanta GA
Kathleen D. Eisenach - Little Rock AR
M. Donald Cave - Little Rock AR
Joseph H. Bates - Little Rock AR
Assignee:
The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas - Little Rock AR
International Classification:
C12Q 168, C12P 1934
Abstract:
A novel composition and/or methods for the diagnosis of tuberculosis wherein the composition comprises a repetitive DNA segment that is specific for members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The DNA segment repeats in the chromosome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, and is conserved in all copies of the chromosomes. A method comprises using an entire repetitive DNA sequence, or any part thereof, as a hybridization probe for the direct detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in clinical material. In another method, a smaller portion of an entire repetitive DNA sequence is amplified using polymerase chain reaction, yielding a 123 base-pair product.