QUANTITATIVE REAL-TIME PCR ASSAY FOR DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN PNEUMOCYSTIS PNEUMONIA AND PNEUMOCYSTISCOLONIZATION
Journal Title: International Journal of Medical and Clinical Research - Year 2014, Vol 5, Issue 1
Abstract
Pneumocystis jirovecii is a life threatening opportunistic pathogen among immunocompromised individuals. In the present study we evaluated the applicability of quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays for differentiation among diseased and colonized individuals with a diagnosis of PCP. A total of 355 patients were investigated with clinical suspicion of PCP, from whom 244 BALF and 111 induced sputum samples were obtained. All these specimens were subjected to microscopy using GMS staining, c-PCR assay and qPCR assay. 80 patients were found positive for PCP. The relevant clinical, microbiological and radiological information was available only for 68 patients and were further categorized into definite (n=12), probable (n=47) and colonizers (n=09) with P. jirovecii. The copy numbers, determined by qPCR assay, were significantly higher in definite PCP and probable PCP patients compared to colonizers. The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity for differentiating definite PCP from colonizers were 1.00, 100.0%, and 89.0%, respectively, at a cut-off value of 13950 copies/mL. The values for discriminating probable PCP from colonization were, 0.81, 72% and 78% respectively, at a cut-off value of 6580 copies/mL. However, the AUC, sensitivity, and specificity were 0.85, 75% and 78% respectively when colonizers were differentiated from both definite - probable PCP taken together, with a cut-off 7015 of copies/ml. Thus, there was an overlap between cut-off for probable PCP patients and colonizers. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that qPCR assay could be useful for discriminating definite PCP with colonizers, but had limitation for distinguishing between probable PCP from colonizers.
Authors and Affiliations
S. SINGH, B. R. MIRDHA, P. SINGH, R. GULERIA, A. MOHAN, S. K. AGARWAL, R. M. PANDEY
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP170002
- DOI 10.9735/0976-5530.5.1.286-293
- Views 119
- Downloads 0
IDENTIFICATION AND ANTIFUNGAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING OF FUNGAL INFECTIONS IN CLINICAL SAMPLES OF SUSPECTED SUPERFICIAL FUNGAL INFECTIONS
Introduction- Fungi are world- wide in distribution but only few of them are considered as pathogenic. As the fungal infections are not notifiable infections like viral, parasitic, bacterial diseases hence these are not...
BRAINSTEM EVOKED RESPONSE AUDIOMETRY (BERA) IN NEONATES WITH HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY IN INDIAN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL
Introduction: Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia is one of the most common clinical sign in neonatal medicine and is a common cause of sensory neural hearing loss and auditory neuropathy. If not controlled, hyperbilirubinemia c...
INVESTIGATION OF MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY RATES OF CHILDREN 0-11 MONTHS IN KENEMA DISTRICT, EASTERN SIERRA LEONE: 12 MONTHS DATABASE STUDY
Objective- To investigate the 2010 reported morbidity and mortality rates for five major childhood diseases; malaria, anemia, diarrhea, acute respiratory infection (ARI) and worm infestation affecting children 0-11 month...
GRIP FORCE AND ULTRASOUND EXAMINATION OF MUSCLE ARCHITECTURE IN RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS PATIENTS-A PILOT STUDY
The aims of this study were to measure grip force (flexion and extension force) in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and compare them with healthy subjects. We also wanted to explore the possible causes of impaired...
ANKLE PROPRIOCEPTION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS AND NORMALS
Objective- To test the hypotheses that patients with knee OA will have an altered proprioception in ankle. Methods- This study compared the ankle proprioception levels of a group of 35 clinically and radiographically dia...