Background and Purpose: Pneumocystis pneumonia, caused by Pneumocystis jirovecii, is a fatal disease threatening patients with AIDS or immunosuppression. Assessment of colonization in these patients is of great significance, since it can lead to severe pulmonary disorders. Considering the scarcity of published reports on Pneumocystis jirovecii isolates from patients in Mashhad, Iran, we aimed t...

A rapid and sensitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nested-PCR were used to detect bovine viral diarrhea virus 1 (BVDV-1) in bull semen. Selected primers could amplify a part of the 5´UTR of the BVDV genome. A 294 bp DNA fragment was amplified and specificity of the results was confirmed by direct sequencing of the PCR product. Prior to RNA extraction, the seminal...

The role of Toscana (TOS) virus in producing encephalitis without meningitis is uncertain. We studied 2 cases of TOS virus encephalitis without meningitis by means of nested polymerase chain reaction assay and DNA sequencing. Findings confirm that TOS virus may directly cause encephalitis and suggest the usefulness of DNA sequencing in investigating relationships between TOS virus molecular pat...

OBJECTIVE To detect human papillomavirus (HPV) in semen and find if sperm washing removes HPV DNA. METHODS Amplification by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect viral DNA sequences in semen samples from 85 volunteers. Forty-five men had historical or clinical evidence of genital HPV infection (study group) and 40 were healthy, clinically HPV-negative semen donors. RESUL...

by DANAYA AMINA BETHEA (Under the Direction of Ynes R. Ortega) ABSTRACT Toxoplasma gondii is an intracellular obligate protozoan parasite that causes toxoplasmosis in humans. This study aimed to detect and genotype T. gondii in fresh produce. Six PCR assays using various Toxoplasma gene targets were examined for their suitability in vegetable matrices. The SAG2 PCR was selected for this study. ...

AIMS Previous studies investigating the link between infection with Borrelia burgdorferi and morphoea have produced conflicting results. Often, these studies have been undertaken in patients from different regions or countries, and using methods of varying sensitivity for detecting Borrelia burgdorferi infection. This study aimed to establish whether a relation could be demonstrated in the High...

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a significant risk factor for uterine cervical carcinoma. Many studies have also demonstrated the presence of HPV in oral epithelia tissue, but the role of HPV infection in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is still controversial. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and type of HPV in OSCC and oral pre-cancerous lesions. DNA samples wer...

The aim of the study was to detect the rDNA sequences and their regions in Histoplasma capsulatum, which could be considered species-specific and used as a molecular method for this diagnosis by the technique of nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR), employing specific sequences (primers) for H. capsulatum: 18S rDNA region (HC18), 100 kDa (HC100) and the sequence 5.8 S-ITS rDNA (HC5.8)....