[Application of recombinant 38000 protein antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in screening Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection].

Objective: To evaluate the potential of recombinant 38000 protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (38000 protein) as a tuberculosis-specific tuberculin for screening M. tuberculosis infection.

Methods: A total of 1342 subjects (706 men and 636 women, age 18-60 years) from several communities in Kazuo County and Xidaziying Town, Chaoyang, Liaoning Province, and Hongdong County, Linfen, Shanxi Province were enrolled from September 2004 to February 2005.

Clinical evaluation of the recombinant 38 kDa protein of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

The diagnosis of tuberculosis remains among public health concerns due to shortcomings of the purified protein derivative (PPD). Recombinant truncated 38 kDa protein (rTPA38) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis was evaluated to screen new tuberculosis-specific tuberculin. 539 patients, 1133 healthy controls, and 55 guinea pigs were recruited to assess their sensitivity and specificity to rTPA38; 221 healthy controls, with negative responses to rTPA38 and PPD, were vaccinated with M.

[Identification of differential genomic genes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and attenuated strain H37Ra by suppression subtractive hybridization].

To study the virulence-related genes in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, we used suppression subtractive hybridization to clone the differential genomic genes between Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence strain H37Rv and attenuated strain H37Ra. All of 54 different genes were cloned, sequenced and analyzed by Southern-blotting. Two different DNA fragments in H37Ra are new genes so far, and get the new Genbank number AY534505 and AY560011.

[Application of multiplex polymerase chain reaction in rapid identification of Mycobacterium bovis BCG].

Objective: To establish a method for the rapid identification of Mycobacterium bovis BCG.

Methods: A genomic region designated RD1 was found to be deleted from BCG strains, but present in other strains of Mycobacterium bovis and other members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Mycobacterium africanum, and Mycobacterium microti. With this information, a multiplex PCR method, developed to detect the deletion of RD1, was used to differentiate BCG strains from other strains of Mycobacterium bovis and other members of MTC.

Comparative proteome analysis of culture supernatant proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and H37Ra.

To examine the virulence factors of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, the proteome was used to characterize the differences in protein expression between virulent M. tuberculosis H37Rv and attenuated M. tuberculosis H37Ra.