Diagnostic Performance of Polymerase Chain Reaction in Suspected Cases of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis
Journal Title: International Journal of Medical Research Professionals - Year 2018, Vol 4, Issue 5
Abstract
Introduction: One of the prime diagnostic goals in suspected cases of viral encephalitis is to identify a specific etiologic agent, with emphasis on disease that requires therapeutic intervention, such as Herpes simplex encephalitis. Diagnosis of viral infections of the central nervous system has been revolutionized by the advent of new molecular diagnostic technologies, such as the standard Polymerase chain reaction/Real time polymerase chain reaction. The technique can be performed rapidly and inexpensively, with a turnaround time of 24 h or less. Materials and Methods: A total of 54 patients suspected of HSV encephalitis in adult or paediatric patient with fever (≥380C), altered mental status, whether with or without headache, seizures or focal neurologic abnormalities were selected for study. The PCR reactions were optimized with the same set of primers and reaction conditions both for the known HSV control strain and all the 54 patients CSF samples. Results: Overall, 6 (11.1%) of the CSF samples were positive for HSV DNA. Negative CSF controls yielded negative results for HSV DNA, thus confirming the efficiency and efficacy of the amplification process. Conclusion: In conclusion, detection of Viral DNA in CSF by PCR for the diagnosis of suspected Herpes simplex virus encephalitis patients should clearly be the standard diagnostic modality.
Authors and Affiliations
Satish Kumar, Shiv Parshad Mittal, Sameer Singh Faujdar
Keywords
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- EP ID EP536740
- DOI 10.21276/ijmrp.2018.4.5.016
- Views 82
- Downloads 0
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