目的 用基因工程技术制备梅毒螺旋体特异蛋白抗原，以解决梅毒螺旋体不能体外培养而难以获得足量的纯梅毒螺旋体特异蛋白抗原的难题。方法以PCR技术克隆出目的基因，重组后通过DNA序列测定验证重组质粒中连结有目的基因片段；以pMALTM-c2为质粒载体，TB：大肠杆菌为宿主菌进行目的基因的转化、诱导和表达，并对表达产物进行蛋白印迹试验检测其血清学活性。结果 PCR克隆出梅毒螺旋体15000、17000以及47000蛋白的基因克隆，其中梅毒螺旋体17000以及47000在TB：大肠杆菌中得到稳定的表达，且表达产物显示与梅毒患者血清有非常特异的血清学反应。结论梅毒螺旋体之目的基因在大肠杆菌中得到了成功表达，并具特异的血清学活性，从而为建立国产化梅毒血 清学诊断的新方法奠定了基础。

This article reports the identification of 57 AFB cultures isolated from clinical specimens by using traditional methods (TM, including biochemical and cultural methods) and modern ELISA with monoclonal antibody (McAb-ELISA) and nested primer gene amplification assay (NPGAA). The representive AFB culture M. A1, A7, A19, A21 and A22) isolated from human lepromas were identified as new species by TM and it was shown that they were not identical to M. leprae by McAb-ELISA and NPGAA. Among another set of samples (M. S17, S1, S2, S2R, S7, S29), M. S17 was identical to M. scrofulaceum as assessed by TM only, while the others were found to be similar to M. tuberculosis and different from M. leprae using TM and McAb-ELISA, and identical to M. tuberculosis with NPGAA. The authors conclude that TM and MM are very useful for identifying mycobacteria, while MM was much more sensitive and specific than TM. The selection and use of these methods depends on practical need.

Objective. So far, it has not been established a satisfactorymethod for early diagnosis and studying on ep idem iology for lep rosy, we want to develop a molecular biologicalmethod for solving th is point. Materials and methods. Based on theM. leprae gene coding groEL, 65kD and 16S rRNA, th ree poly-merase chain reactionsw ere developed by using plikaytis', Woods' and Pattyn's p rocedures. It was op ti-mized that the experimental parameters for each PCR, and a comparative study on practivity among three PCR sw as also conducted for practical purpose. Results and conclusion. For detecting infection with M. leprae, all of PCR s established by us were high ly sensitive and specific, but for practicl purpose, thewoods' PCR optimized by us ought to be chosen firstly.

We report a woman in whom a slow-growing scotochromogenic strain of Mycobacterium was cultured from skin lesions. According to its phenotypic and biochemical characteristics we could predict only that it might be M. szulgai, M. scrofulaceum or M. gordonae. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of the hsp65 gene and subsequent restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis on the isolated strain showed that its restriction pattern differed from both M. scrofulaceum and other scotochromogenic species. Ninety-nine per cent similarity was detected between the isolated strain and M. gordonae by sequencing of the hsp65 gene. This result suggests that the isolated strain may be either a slow-growing scotochromogenic Mycobacterium most resembling M. gordonae or a novel mycobacterial species.