We have developed a simple PCR assay protocol for detection of the root-knot nematode (RKN) species Meloidogyne arenaria, M. incognita, and M. javanica extracted from soil. Nematodes are extracted from soil using Baermann funnels and centrifugal flotation. The nematode-containing fraction is then digested with proteinase K, and a PCR assay is carried out with primers specific for this group of ...

BACKGROUND Tuberculous endometritis is often a diagnostic dilemma for gynecologists in the evaluation of infertility. This study evaluated and compared different diagnostic methods in tuberculous endometritis. METHODS 100 infertile women were investigated for tuberculous endometritis. The endometrial samples obtained by curettage were evaluated by Ziehl-Neelsen (ZN) staining of the smears for...

Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) typing, in combination with genotyping of the Staphylococcus aureus chromosome, has become essential for defining methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) clones in epidemiological studies. We have developed a convenient system for SCCmec type assignment. The system consists of six multiplex PCRs (M-PCRs) for identifying the ccr gene complex (ccr), ...

BACKGROUND Diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia is challenging because of the lack of standardized rapid tests. Many serologic tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based methods are used with different diagnostic criteria. METHODS This retrospective study was conducted to compare the diagnostic values of the indirect particle agglutination test and nested PCR of nasopharyngeal as...

Nontuberculous mycobacteria are often underdiagnosed due to lack of proper diagnostic facilities. To overcome this, we created a rapid PCR method for the species-specific diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and its differentiation from other mycobacteria. A set of PCR primers targeting the gene encoding for early-secreted antigen-6 (ESAT-6) of the M. tuberculosis complex was designed and st...

A multiplex PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Pneumocystis jirovecii was developed using IS6110-based detection for M. tuberculosis and mitochondrial large-subunit (mtLSU) rRNA gene detection for P. jirovecii. Ninety-five pulmonary blinded samples were examined using the developed multiplex PCR assay, and the results were compared with those obtained by ...

Following the isolation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae from urogenital specimens (M. Goulet, R. Dular, J. G. Tully, G. Billows, and S. Kasatiya, J. Clin. Microbiol. 33:2823-2825, 1995), a study was undertaken to confirm the observations by PCR. Specific primers directed to the P1 adhesin gene of M. pneumoniae were used. A total of 300 genital specimens were tested for M. pneumoniae and Mycoplasma gen...

Infections associated with Mycobacterium haemophilum are underdiagnosed because specific culture methods required for its recovery are not applied routinely. Using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology on fine needle aspirates and biopsied specimens from 89 children with cervicofacial lymphadenitis, we assessed the importance of M. haemophilum. Application of a Mycobacterium genus-specific...