Identification and differentiation of mycobacteria using the PAN promoter sequence from Mycobacterium...

A 165 bp DNA fragment containing the PAN promoter from Mycobacterium paratuberculosis was used as a probe in Southern blots to detect the presence of related sequences in other species of mycobacteria. Among the species tested homologous sequences appeared to be present in representative pathogens belonging to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, the MAIS complex, Mycobacterium kansasii and also the non-pathogenic vaccine strain Mycobacterium bovis BCG. In addition, the probe could differentiate between these species on the basis of a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). No hybridization was observed with DNA extracted from a selected group of other slow-growing and fast-growing mycobacteria nor from a selection of other bacterial pathogens. It appears that the PAN sequence is identifying genomic regions common to the major pathogenic groups of mycobacteria.