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

聚合酶链反应扩增快速生长的分枝杆菌和诺卡氏菌的基因组的一部分，然后通过限制性片段长度多态性分析的扩增产物，正在评估这些程序用于诊断实验室的效用。该技术已被证明是有用的，在提供初步鉴定这些生物体在几天内的有机体分离，相比之下，一个月或更长时间的常规鉴定的基础上生化测试。此外，这些分子程序似乎通常允许更准确的物种和亚种之间的区别比可能与生化检测。我们的工作与16S核糖体RNA的基因组的一部分，建议存在一个迄今未被识别的诺卡氏菌属物种。一份描述我们的方法和总结我们迄今为止的发现的手稿将提交出版。将对可能代表诺卡氏菌属新种的微生物进行进一步研究。

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.