Objective: To evaluate the clinical performance of a probe melting analysis (PMA)-based real-time PCR detection kit in rapid detection of rifampin-resistant mutations in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB).
Methods: The specificity of the assay was evaluated by detecting 37 non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), and the detection limit of the method was evaluated by genomic DNA of a standard strain H37Rv. Finally, 962 clinical isolates were analyzed with the PMA assay by detecting mutations in rifampin resistance-determining region (RRDR) of rpoB gene, and results were verified with DNA sequencing.
Results: Among 37 NTM strains, three strains showed drug resistant mutation signals. The PMA method could detect down to 30 bacteria per reaction. Sample analysis showed that 186 of 962 isolates were mutants, 751 isolates were wild type and 25 isolates failed to give amplification signals. Among the mutant samples detected, 112 samples from November 2009 to April 2010 were further analyzed by sequencing, as well as 200 wild-type samples. The results showed a complete agreement with the PMA assay except for 5 samples failed in sequence analysis.
Conclusion: The PMA assay is rapid, accurate and easy-to-use, and thus can be used for detection of rifampin-resistant in clinical isolate samples.