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KMID : 0386319970300020049
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Korean Leprosy Bulletin
1997 Volume.30 No. 2 p.49 ~ p.55
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Assessment of the susceptibility to antileprotic drugs by RT PCR
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Kim Min-Joo
Kim Se-Kon
You Ji-Chang
Chae Gue-Tae
Kim Soon-Ok
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Abstract
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We investigated whether RT PCR is suitable and relable method for the detection of
the viability of Mycobacterium leprae and the assessment of the susceptibility to
antileprotic drugs. RT PCR was chosen because it has been demonstrated for rapid,
sensitive and specific detection of 18kDa antigen in M. leprae. M. leprae-infected
macrophages were exposed to various concentrations of rifampin which has the most
bactericidal effect among MDT drugs and whose target site is an bacterial RNA
polymerase. After the exposure to rifampin, RNA was isolated, reverse-transcribed, and
followed by the detection of cDNA encoding M. leprae-specific 18kDa antigen by PCR.
Radiorespirometry, which is the most popular but a time-consuming method, was also
compared with the RT PCR method. Both methods whowed a decreasing pattern
depending on the concentrations of rifampin. However, RT PCR had more significant
effect showing a detection limit of 102 bacilli and the loss of RT PCR
signal at low concentrations of rifampin in two days, instead of three weeks. This
system for testing viability provides a potential for rapid evaluations of drug
susceptibility testing.
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