Biomaterial Database

Polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Mycobacterium leprae. 1989

R A Hartskeerl, and M Y de Wit, and P R Klatser

N.H. Swellengrebel Laboratory of Tropical Hygiene, Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using heat-stable Taq polymerase is described for the specific detection of Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy. A set of primers was selected on the basis of the nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding the 36 kDa antigen of M. leprae. With this set of primers in the PCR, M. leprae could be detected specifically with a detection limit approximating one bacterium. This PCR appears to meet the criteria of specificity and sensitivity required for a useful tool in epidemiology and eventually for the control of leprosy.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007918	Leprosy	A chronic granulomatous infection caused by MYCOBACTERIUM LEPRAE. The granulomatous lesions are manifested in the skin, the mucous membranes, and the peripheral nerves. Two polar or principal types are lepromatous and tuberculoid.	Hansen's Disease,Hansen Disease
D008099	Liver	A large lobed glandular organ in the abdomen of vertebrates that is responsible for detoxification, metabolism, synthesis and storage of various substances.	Livers
D009166	Mycobacterium leprae	A species of gram-positive, aerobic bacteria that causes LEPROSY in man. Its organisms are generally arranged in clumps, rounded masses, or in groups of bacilli side by side.
D004259	DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase	DNA-dependent DNA polymerases found in bacteria, animal and plant cells. During the replication process, these enzymes catalyze the addition of deoxyribonucleotide residues to the end of a DNA strand in the presence of DNA as template-primer. They also possess exonuclease activity and therefore function in DNA repair.	DNA Polymerase,DNA Polymerases,DNA-Dependent DNA Polymerases,DNA Polymerase N3,DNA Dependent DNA Polymerases,DNA Directed DNA Polymerase,DNA Polymerase, DNA-Directed,DNA Polymerases, DNA-Dependent,Polymerase N3, DNA,Polymerase, DNA,Polymerase, DNA-Directed DNA,Polymerases, DNA,Polymerases, DNA-Dependent DNA
D004587	Electrophoresis, Agar Gel	Electrophoresis in which agar or agarose gel is used as the diffusion medium.	Electrophoresis, Agarose Gel,Agar Gel Electrophoresis,Agarose Gel Electrophoresis,Gel Electrophoresis, Agar,Gel Electrophoresis, Agarose
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D001135	Armadillos	Burrowing, chiefly nocturnal mammals of the family Dasypodidae having bodies and heads encased in small bony plates. They are widely distributed in the warmer parts of the Americas.	Armadillo
D015139	Blotting, Southern	A method (first developed by E.M. Southern) for detection of DNA that has been electrophoretically separated and immobilized by blotting on nitrocellulose or other type of paper or nylon membrane followed by hybridization with labeled NUCLEIC ACID PROBES.	Southern Blotting,Blot, Southern,Southern Blot
D016133	Polymerase Chain Reaction	In vitro method for producing large amounts of specific DNA or RNA fragments of defined length and sequence from small amounts of short oligonucleotide flanking sequences (primers). The essential steps include thermal denaturation of the double-stranded target molecules, annealing of the primers to their complementary sequences, and extension of the annealed primers by enzymatic synthesis with DNA polymerase. The reaction is efficient, specific, and extremely sensitive. Uses for the reaction include disease diagnosis, detection of difficult-to-isolate pathogens, mutation analysis, genetic testing, DNA sequencing, and analyzing evolutionary relationships.	Anchored PCR,Inverse PCR,Nested PCR,PCR,Anchored Polymerase Chain Reaction,Inverse Polymerase Chain Reaction,Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction,PCR, Anchored,PCR, Inverse,PCR, Nested,Polymerase Chain Reactions,Reaction, Polymerase Chain,Reactions, Polymerase Chain
D021141	Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques	Laboratory techniques that involve the in-vitro synthesis of many copies of DNA or RNA from one original template.	DNA Amplification Technic,DNA Amplification Technique,DNA Amplification Techniques,Nucleic Acid Amplification Technic,Nucleic Acid Amplification Technique,RNA Amplification Technic,RNA Amplification Technique,RNA Amplification Techniques,Amplification Technics, Nucleic Acid,Amplification Techniques, Nucleic Acid,DNA Amplification Technics,Nucleic Acid Amplification Technics,Nucleic Acid Amplification Test,Nucleic Acid Amplification Tests,RNA Amplification Technics,Technics, Nucleic Acid Amplification,Techniques, Nucleic Acid Amplification,Amplification Technic, DNA,Amplification Technic, RNA,Amplification Technics, DNA,Amplification Technics, RNA,Amplification Technique, DNA,Amplification Technique, RNA,Amplification Techniques, DNA,Amplification Techniques, RNA,Technic, DNA Amplification,Technic, RNA Amplification,Technics, DNA Amplification,Technics, RNA Amplification,Technique, DNA Amplification,Technique, RNA Amplification,Techniques, DNA Amplification,Techniques, RNA Amplification