USE OF PCR AND RFLP ANALYSIS FOR IDENTIFICATION OF MYCOBACTERIA AND NOCARDIA

正在对快速生长的分枝杆菌和诺卡氏菌的部分基因组进行聚合酶链式反应扩增，然后对扩增产物进行限制性片段长度多态性分析，以评估这些程序在诊断实验室使用的实用性。这项技术已经被证明是有用的，可以在器官中毒隔离后的几天内提供这些微生物的初步鉴定，而基于生化测试的常规鉴定需要一个月或更长的时间。此外，与生化检测相比，这些分子程序似乎通常可以更准确地区分物种和亚种。我们对16S核糖体RNA基因组的一部分进行的研究表明，存在一种迄今未被识别的诺卡氏菌。将提交一份手稿，描述我们的方法并总结我们迄今的研究结果，以供出版。将对可能代表诺卡氏菌属新种的生物进行进一步的研究。

Polymerase chain reaction amplification of a portion of the genome of both rapidly growing mycobacteria and nocardia, followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the amplification products, is being evaluated to assess the utility of these procedures for use in the diagnostic laboratory. The technique has already proven useful in providing preliminary identification of these organisms within a few days of organ-ism isolation, as compared with the month or more required for conventional identification based on biochemical testing. In addition, these molecular procedures seem generally to allow more accurate discrimination among species and subspecies than is possible with biochemical testing. Our work with a portion of the genome for 16S ribosomal RNA has suggested the existence of a hitherto unrecognized Nocardia species. A manuscript describing our methodology and summarizing our findings to date will be submitted for publication. Further studies will be performed on the organisms which may represent new species in the genus Nocardia.