Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has recently been recognized as a serious pathogen in elderly and immunocompromised adults. Diagnosis of acute infection in adults is often difficult due to the insensitivity of viral culture, and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) is a more sensitive alternative. The relationship of quantitative RT-PCR to viable virus has never been studied for RSV. Therefore,...

introduction: l. pneumophila is the most important cause of legionaires, disease, which is currently reported either as a nosocomial or community acquired infection. rapid and reliable diagnosis of legionella has hampered the epidemiological studies and disease control activities. in spite of good sensitivity and specificity, the culture method encountered serious shortcomings. polymerase chain...

INTRODUCTION Diagnosis of neonatal sepsis remains a major challenge in neonatology. Most molecular-based methods are not customized for neonatal requirements. The aim of the present study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of a modified multiplex PCR protocol for the detection of neonatal sepsis using small blood volumes. METHODS 212 episodes of suspected neonatal late onset sepsis were an...

OBJECTIVE To compare a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay with broth culture for the detection of Trichomonas vaginalis using self-collected vaginal swabs. METHODS Self-collected vaginal swabs were obtained from adolescent and young adult African-American women participating in HIV-1 prevention programs. T. vaginalis culture was performed using the InPouch TV System. Samples for ...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE Mycoplasma pneumoniae is known to be a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections in children. A specific diagnosis is important to institute the appropriate treatment. Information on diagnostic methods used for M. pneumoniae in Indian paediatric population is scarce. The study was thus conducted to compare polymerase chain reaction (PCR), culture and serology for ...

A study was designed to assess the performance of various swabs and transport media routinely used to collect specimens submitted for Bordetella culture and PCR. Calcium-alginate swabs inhibited the PCR. No inhibition was detected in any PCRs with dacron or rayon swabs. All swab materials performed similarly for recovery of Bordetella pertussis in culture. The Amies with charcoal transport syst...

background and objectives: the development of molecular biological techniques provide a method for direct detection and identification of pathogens. this study attempted to compare bacterial culture and pcr to detect s. agalactiae in cattle milk samples. the pcr method was based on using primers v1 and v2 derived from the 16s rrna gene. materials and methods: one hundred milk samples were colle...