Direct application of AvaII PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis (AvaII PRA) targeting 644 bp heat shock protein 65 (hsp65) gene to sputum samples

To evaluate the usefulness of the AvaII PRA method targeting 644-bp hsp65 gene for the direct detection of pathogenic mycobacteria from clinical specimens, we applied this method to 40 sputum samples and compared the results to those obtained by IS 6110 PCR. Although this method showed a sensitivity slightly lower than IS 6110 PCR (97.5% vs. 100%), it detected infections of M. avium complex (MAC) in two patients, which was not possible by IS 6110 PCR. We conclude that AvaII PRA is a highly effective method for directly detecting pathogenic mycobacteria in primary clinical specimens.