Influence of polymerase brand on microarray-based spoligotyping in low concentrations of mycobacterial DNA

Spoligotyping is a widely used typing method for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Protocols and platforms can be adapted for direct use on patient samples. Serial dilutions of genomic DNA from Mycobacterium bovis BCG strain DSM45071 were spoligotyped by array hybridization using 32 different commercial PCR polymerase preparations. In samples with very low concentrations of mycobacterial DNA, commercially available PCR polymerases differed in their performance, and some yielded no, or false, identification. Direct spoligotyping from samples with very low concentrations of mycobacterial DNA thus requires careful selection of polymerase and strict standardization.