We studied the diagnostic performance of the IRIDICA PCR/electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (PCR/ESI-MS) assay applied on bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples, from 51 mechanically ventilated patients with suspected pneumonia, in a prospective study. In 32 patients with X-ray verified pneumonia, PCR/ESI-MS was positive in 66% and BAL culture was positive in 38% (p = 0.045), and either of...

Contagious equine metritis (CEM) is a highly contagious bacterial venereal disease of horses caused by Taylorella equigenitalis. CEM-PCR is a semi-nested PCR method for detecting this bacterium. Although this technique is regarded as a sensitive diagnostic method for CEM, there are risks of it generating false positive and false negative results. In this study, we constructed a recombinant plas...

OBJECTIVE To identify transcriptionally active open reading frames (ORFs), predicted by bioinformatics, within RD1 genomic segment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). MATERIALS AND METHODS M. tuberculosis H37Rv was grown in Middlebrook 7H9 medium for 8 weeks and total RNA was isolated using standard procedures. The cDNA was synthesized...

We evaluated a three-step algorithm for laboratory diagnosis of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD). First, stool specimens were screened using an EIA test for glutamate dehydrogenase detection. Screen-positive specimens were tested by a rapid cytotoxintoxin A/B assay and subjected to stool culture. All cultures positive for C. difficile underwent toxigenic culture. The results sh...

malaria is a major problem in tropical and sub-tropical countries, with high morbidity and mortality. splenectomy makes patients more susceptible to serious bacterial and parasitic infections. we report for the first time in iran a fatal case of plasmodium vivax malaria, confirmed by microscopic and molecu­lar (semi-nested multiplex pcr) tests in a patient who had undergone splenectomy due to h...