Beschreibung:
<jats:p>Real-time PCR was employed to detect a region of the P1 cytadhesin gene of <jats:italic>Mycoplasma pneumoniae</jats:italic> in clinical samples. An internal processing control was included that could be co-amplified simultaneously in the same reaction tube. The assay could reproducibly detect 1×10<jats:sup>3</jats:sup>
<jats:italic>M. pneumoniae</jats:italic> organisms ml<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> in clinical samples. There was no amplification of DNA or signal production from 15 other species of human mycoplasmas and 19 other bacterial species. Using a panel of 175 respiratory samples taken from patients with pneumonia of proven aetiology, the sensitivity was found to be 60 % and the specificity of the assay 96·7 % when compared with serology. This assay is suitable for same-day diagnosis of <jats:italic>M. pneumoniae</jats:italic> infection and batch processing of respiratory samples for clinical screening.</jats:p>