Patent ID: 7824858

Claim:
A method for detecting if a sample contains nucleic acid from Mycobacterium avium ( M. avium ) or Mycobacterium intracellulare ( M. intracellulare ), said method comprising: assessing the presence or absence of a first target nucleic acid sequence in said sample; and assessing the presence or absence of a second target nucleic acid sequence in said sample; identifying the sample as containing nucleic acid from M. avium, M. intracellulare , or M. avium serovars 2/3, wherein the presence of said first target nucleic acid indicates that the sample contains M. avium , wherein the absence of said first target nucleic acid and the presence of said second target nucleic acid indicates that the sample contains M. intracellulare , and wherein the presence of said first and second target nucleic acids indicates that the sample contains M. avium serovar 2 or M. avium serovar 3, wherein said first target nucleic acid sequence is specific for the macrophage-induced gene (mig) gene of M. avium and said second target nucleic acid sequence is specific for the DT1 gene of M. intracellulare, M. avium serovar 2 and M. avium serovar 3 and wherein said sample is not a gastric aspirate or a stool sample.