Cloning of the antigen 85A fromMycobacterium gordonaeand its use for the specific PCR identification of these mycobacteria

The complete nucleotide sequence of 85A antigen ofMycobacterium gordonaewas determined. This gene encodes 339 amino acids, including 43 amino acids for the signal peptide, followed by a mature protein of 296 amino acids. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the rapid detection ofM. gordonaeDNA using two pairs of oligonucleotide primers, derived from our sequence, is described. This one-step PCR has been used successfully to amplify 38 strains ofM. gordonae. Conversely, the primers did not amplify DNA from any of the 25 mycobacterial species tested. The results suggest that this PCR assay could be a good alternative to existing commercial assays for the specific identification ofM. gordonaeon early culture on solid medium or on early BACTEC broth culture.