Nucleic acid-based amplification tests allow the rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Recently, a real-time PCR assay for M. tuberculosis complex, the Cobas TaqMan MTB test (Roche Diagnostics, Basel, Switzerland), was introduced. We performed a prospective study to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the Cobas TaqMan MTB test system. A total of 406 specimens collected from 247 pati...

We evaluated the usefulness of PCR analysis of the 16S-23S rRNA gene internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the CTX-M extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) followed by microchip gel electrophoresis (MGE) for direct identification and CTX-M detection of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) from positive blood culture bottles. Of 251 GNB isolated from blood cultures containing a single bacterium, 225 (90%)...

Ulcer material from consecutive patients attending clinics in Antananarivo, Madagascar, was tested using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) to detect Treponema pallidum, Haemophilus ducreyi, and herpes simplex virus. Sera were tested for syphilis and for IgG and IgM antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis by microimmunofluorescence testing (MIF). By M-PCR, 33% of 196 patients had chancroid...

Technical Appendix Table. Characteristics and clinical and laboratory findings for patients having positive results for TBRF by rtPCR, Jask and Rodan Counties, Iran, 2011–2013* Patient no. Sex Age, y Occupation Area, Province Relapses Microscopy (count/10 high power fields) rt-PCR IGS nested PCR 1 M 22 Unknown Jask, Hormozgan Yes Positive† (2.3) Positive Positive 2 M 59 Farmer Jask, Hormozgan Y...

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae is the primary agent of mycoplasmal pneumonia in swine. In this study we performed an arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR) analysis, in which low-stringency amplification with a single primer was used, to investigate genetic variability in M. hyopneumoniae strains and field isolates. We performed preliminary experiments to examine the efficacy of 40 different 10-mer oligonuc...

PURPOSE Diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) poses serious challenges. A careful selection of appropriate gene targets is essential for designing a multiplex-polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS We compared several gene targets of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, including IS6110, devR, and genes encoding MPB-64 (mpb64), 38kDa (pstS1), 65kDa (hsp65), 30kDa (fbp...

STUDY OBJECTIVE This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae DNA in samples obtained by transthoracic needle aspiration (TNA). DESIGN Prospective study of cases. SETTING A university hospital in Lleida, Spain. PATIENTS A total of 101 unselected patients, admitted between January 1993 and March 1994 in the emergency d...

The diagnosis of Mycobacterium ulcerans infection is hampered by the slow growth of the bacterium in culture, resulting in a delay of several months before a specific diagnosis can be obtained. In addition, M. ulcerans cannot be isolated from water even when there is convincing epidemiological evidence implicating this as the source of infection. The aim of the present study was to develop a PC...

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique was used to detect Mycoplasma pneumoniae. A specific DNA sequence for M. pneumoniae was selected from a genomic library, and two oligonucleotides were chosen in this sequence to give an amplified fragment of 144 base pairs. We show that DNA from different M. pneumoniae strains can be detected by PCR, with DNA from other Mycoplasma species giving neg...

BACKGROUND Response to the first two cycles of preoperative chemotherapy might differentiate subgroups of breast cancer patients with high or minimal chances for a pathologic complete response (pCR) and may be used as an in vivo chemosensitivity test. METHODS Breast cancer patients were treated with two cycles of TAC (docetaxel 75 mg/m(2), doxorubicin 50 mg/m(2), cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m(2) ...