The herpes simplex viruses types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) can cause life-threatening infections of the central nervous system and lead to severe infections in immunocompromised subjects and newborns. In these cases, rapid diagnosis is crucial. We developed three different real-time PCR assays based on TaqMan chemistry for the LightCycler instrument to detect HS...

background: respiratory virus infections in children are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. methods : a total of 897 clinical specimens were collected from february 2007 to january 2008 and transported to the na­tional influenza center. two hundred and two samples belonged to children under the age of six from 897 specimens, de­scribed above, were selected. then they were tes...

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE WORK In recent years, the diagnosis of toxoplasmosis has been improved by Real-time PCR assays. In this study we compared the performances of two Real-time PCRs (FRET and TaqMan protocols) already described in the literature, and one nested-PCR, currently used in our laboratory for the molecular diagnosis of toxoplasmosis. METHODS We evaluated the sensitivity and the...

Diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is difficult in cases with an unusual presentation and often requires a lung biopsy. The goal of this study was to determine the clinical usefulness of nested PCR on lung tissue for the diagnosis of pulmonary TB. Clinical and laboratory data were reviewed from patients who underwent diagnostic lung biopsies, followed by nested TB PCR on formalin-fixed pa...

Problem statement: Q fever is a ubiquitous zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular rickettsial organism that caused abortion and stillbirth in ruminants. Approach: The prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in Iran is essentially unknown. Its traditional diagnosis is based on culture, serology and conventional PCR. In this present study, for more sensitive and accurate detectio...

Babesiosis is an important tickborne disease in the sheep of Iran. OBJECTIVES: A molecular study was carried out in North Khorasan province, Iran in 2010-2011, designed to identify Babesia spp. infection of both sheep and ticks. METHODS: Ninety sheep from different flocks were clinically examined and blood samples were collected with ixodid  ticks . The collected ticks were separated into 82 ti...