A simple and rapid technique for the detection of rifampin resistance in Mycobacterium leprae

Int J Lepr Other Mycobact Dis. 1993 Dec;61(4):600-4.

Abstract

The rifampin resistance of Mycobacterium leprae is due to missense mutations in the rpoB gene encoding the beta-subunit of the essential enzyme RNA polymerase. A rapid and very simple method has been developed to detect rifampin resistance in small numbers of M. leprae present in biopsies. It involves polymerase chain reaction amplification of a defined region of the rpoB gene followed by single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis (PCR-SSCP). The reliability of the method has been tested on a sample of known drug-resistant and susceptible isolates of M. leprae.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Base Sequence
  • DNA Primers / chemistry
  • DNA, Bacterial / chemistry
  • DNA, Single-Stranded / chemistry
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / chemistry
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases / genetics*
  • Dapsone / therapeutic use
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial / genetics
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Genes, Bacterial
  • Humans
  • Leprosy, Lepromatous / drug therapy
  • Leprosy, Lepromatous / microbiology*
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Mycobacterium leprae / drug effects*
  • Mycobacterium leprae / genetics
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Polymorphism, Genetic
  • Prothionamide / therapeutic use
  • Recurrence
  • Rifampin / pharmacology*
  • Rifampin / therapeutic use

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA, Single-Stranded
  • Prothionamide
  • Dapsone
  • DNA-Directed RNA Polymerases
  • Rifampin