Tortoli E, Simonetti M T, Lacchini C, Penati V, Piersimoni C, Morbiducci V
Microbiological and Virological Laboratory, Careggi Hospital, Florence, Italy.
Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. 1994 Mar;13(3):264-7. doi: 10.1007/BF01974549.
A commercially available DNA probe (the AccuProbe Mycobacterium kansasii culture identification test, Gen-Probe, USA) for the identification of Mycobacterium kansasii was tested on a panel of 143 fully characterized mycobacterial strains. The isolates included 70 Mycobacterium kansasii and 73 mycobacteria other than kansasii. The specificity was 100% while the sensitivity was 72.8%. This sensitivity is unusually low in comparison with that of commercial DNA probes for other mycobacteria and confirms a previous study that found genetic heterogeneity within the species Mycobacterium kansasii. Strains that do not hybridize with the AccuProbe are particularly prevalent in Italy and perhaps elsewhere in Europe.
