Patent ID: 7018827

Claim:
An isolated Histoplasma capsulatum M antigen-specific nucleic acid selected from the group consisting of: a nucleic acid having a nucleotide sequence as set forth in the Sequence Listing as SEQ ID NO:1; a nucleic acid having a nucleotide sequence which is complementary to the nucleotide sequence set forth in the Sequence Listing as SEQ ID NO:1; an H. capsulatum M antigen-specific fragment of a nucleic acid of SEQ ID NO:1; and an H. capsulatum M antigen-specific fragment of a nucleic acid with a nucleotide sequence which is complementary to the nucleotide sequence set forth in the Sequence Listing as SEQ ID NO:1; wherein the nucleic acid does not contain the nucleotide sequences 5′CGAAGTCGAGGCTTTCAGCATG3′ (SEQ ID NO:14), 5′TATTAGCTCTAGAATTACCACGGGTATCCAAGTAGTAAGG3′ (SEQ ID NO:15), 5′CCCCGAAGGGCATTGGTTTTTTATCTAATAAATACACCCC3′ (SEQ ID NO:16), or nucleotide sequences complementary thereto, and wherein the nucleic acid is not a nucleic acid consisting essentially of between 10 and 100 nucleotides which is able to form a hybrid at 60° C. with a nucleotide polymer having a nucleotide sequence of 5′CGAAGTCGAGGCTTTCAGCATG3′ (SEQ ID NO:17), 5′CATGCTGAAAGCCTCGACTTCG3′ (SEQ ID NO:18), 5′CAUGCUGAAAGCCUCGACUUCG3′(SEQ ID NO:19) or 5′CGAAGUCGAGGCUUUCAOCAUG3′(SEQ ID NO:20).