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Recently, a 16S rDNA-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was developed for the selective and sensitive detection of Mycoplasma pirum. In this study, the same procedure was used in order to selectively detect by PCR two human mycoplasmas, M. hominisand M. penetrans, with a high level of sensitivity even in a context of human DNA. For each assay, the specificity was verified by testing DNA from other mollicute species (including those closely related to the corresponding mycoplasma), from bacteria phylogenetically close to mollicutes, from Escherichia coliand from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Each assay proved to be highly sensitive since it reliably detected 10 DNA molecules, even in a context of human DNA. The results of this study demonstrate the suitability of our procedure using primers which were designed for the PCR detection of human mollicutes with a high specificity and a low and reproducible threshold of sensitivity.

A new assay using the polymerase chain reaction to amplify a 173-nucleotide DNA fragment within the 16S ribosomal RNA gene of Mycoplasma pirum has been developed. The assay selectively amplified DNA from all strains of M. pirum tested with a high level of sensitivity, even in a context of human DNA. DNA from other mollicute species, including those closely related to M. pirum, from bacteria phylogenetically close to mollicutes (Clostridium innocuum, C. ramosum and Bacillus subtilis), from Escherichia coli and from human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, did not produce the amplified DNA product specific for M. pirum.