Development of a selective and sensitive polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of Mycoplasma pirum

A new assay using the polymerase chain reaction to amplify a 173-nucleotide DNA fragment within the 16S ribosomal RNA gene of Mycoplasma pirum has been developed. The assay selectively amplified DNA from all strains of M. pirum tested with a high level of sensitivity, even in a context of human DNA. DNA from other mollicute species, including those closely related to M. pirum, from bacteria phylogenetically close to mollicutes (Clostridium innocuum, C. ramosum and Bacillus subtilis), from Escherichia coli and from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, did not produce the amplified DNA product specific for M. pirum.