%0 Journal Article %A Shrivastava, Kamal %A Garima, Kushal %A Narang, Anshika %A Bhattacharyya, Kausik %A Vishnoi, Ekta %A Singh, Roshan Kumar %A Chaudhry, Anil %A Prasad, Rajendra %A Bose, Mridula %A Varma-Basil, Mandira %T Rv1458c: a new diagnostic marker for identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in a novel duplex PCR assay %D 2017 %J Journal of Medical Microbiology, %V 66 %N 3 %P 371-376 %@ 1473-5644 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.000440 %K non-tuberculous mycobacteria %K duplex PCR assay %K Rv1458c %K rapid identification %K Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex %I Microbiology Society, %X Purpose. We explored the efficiency of Rv1458c, the gene encoding a putative ABC drug transporter specific for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC), as a diagnostic marker. Methodology. A 190 bp region of Rv1458c and a 300 bp region of hsp65 were targeted in a novel duplex PCR assay and the results were compared with those for PCR restriction analysis(PRA) using the restriction enzymes NruI and BamHI. Species identification of a subset of the isolates (n=50) was confirmed by sequencing. Clinical isolates of M. tuberculosis (n=426) obtained from clinically suspected patients of pulmonary tuberculosis and mycobacterial (n=13) and non-mycobacterial (n=8) reference strains were included in the study. Results. The duplex PCR assay correctly identified 320/426 isolates as MTBC and 106/426 isolates as non-tuberculous mycobacteria(NTM). The test was 100 % specific and sensitive when compared with NruI/BamHI PCR restriction analysis and highlighted the use of Rv1458c as a diagnostic marker for MTBC. Conclusion. The duplex PCR assay could be developed for use as a screening test to identify MTBC in clinical specimens in peripheral laboratories with limited resources. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.000440