@article {METAXA-MARIATOU33, author = {VASILIKI METAXA-MARIATOU and NIKOLAOS VAKALIS and MARIA GAZOULI and GEORGIOS NASIOULAS}, title = {The 500-Base-Pair Fragment of the Putative Gene RvD1-Rv2031c is also Present in the Genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis}, volume = {18}, number = {1}, pages = {33--36}, year = {2004}, publisher = {International Institute of Anticancer Research}, abstract = {Background: It has been proposed that differentiation between M. bovis and M. tuberculosis is possible by using a PCR assay for the 500bp fragment present only in the M. bovis genome. Materials and Methods: Forty clinical samples and 16 clinical isolates from the Department of Microbiology, as well as 4 clinical isolates obtained from another laboratory, were tested for the purpose of this study. As controls we tested 2 M. bovis (M. bovis BCG Pasteur TMC1011 and M. bovis BCG Copenhagen), 1 H37Rv M. tuberculosis strain, 2 M. avium (ATCC15765 and ATCC1975, respectively) and 1 M. paratuberculosis (ATCC19698) strains. Results: None of the mtp40- negative clinical isolates amplified the 500bp fragment, whereas 4 out of 17 mtp40-positive clinical isolates scored positive for the 500bp fragment. All clinical isolates scored positive for IS6110, mtp40, the pncA and oxyR PCR{\textquoteright}s. All but one of the clinical isolates amplified the 500bp fragment. Sequence analysis of the pncA and oxyR PCR products revealed the presence of nucleotide C at position 169 and G at position 285 respectively, suggesting M. tuberculosis as the causative agent. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the 500bp PCR fragment is present not only in M. bovis but also in M. tuberculosis. Copyright {\textcopyright} 2004 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved}, issn = {0258-851X}, URL = {https://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/18/1/33}, eprint = {https://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/18/1/33.full.pdf}, journal = {In Vivo} }