Isolation of M. tuberculosis RNA from Sputum

Analysis of RNA has many applications and has become increasingly important both in basic research and clinical application. The type and number of particular mRNA transcripts expressed in M. tuberculosis (MTB) bacilli under various conditions can provide insight into models of pathogenesis. MTB mRNA has also been demonstrated to correspond to viability in drug-treated MTB culture systems (1 ), thus providing an alternative to the lengthy and often difficult bacterial viability assays used in determining drug susceptibility. Isolation of MTB RNA has an immediate application in evaluation of treatment efficacy in patients. Recent studies on smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis patients undergoing treatment with an optimal chemotherapeutic