Deoxyribonucleic Acid Relatedness Among Mycobacterium leprae, Mycobacterium lepraemurium, and Selected Bacteria by Dot Blot and Spectrophotometric Deoxyribonucleic Acid Hybridization Assays.

Abstract

DNA relatedness between M. leprae or M. lepraemurium and other selected bacteria was studied by both dot blot and spectrophotometric DNA hybridization assays. The results obtained by the 2 methods were similar, except for the relatedness values between M. leprae and 2 corynebacterial strains. Among the mycobacterial species examined, acid-fast organisms isolated from armadillos and a mangabey monkey with leprosy-like disease showed 100% relatedness with M. leprae grown experimentally in armadillos, suggesting their common origin. The usefulness of the dot blot hybridization technique as a screening method for mycobacterial taxonomy is demonstrated.