Arca Ercan, Saracli M Ali, Akar Ahmet, Yildiran S Taner, Kurumlu Zafer, Gur Ali Riza
Department of Dermatology, Gülhane Military Medical Faculty, School of Medicine Etlik, 06018 Ankara, Turkey.
Eur J Dermatol. 2004 Jan-Feb;14(1):52-5.
Onychomycosis is a mycotic infection of the nail which accounts for 50% of all nail disorders. However, there is no predictably successful diagnostic approach to onychomycosis. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in diagnosis of onychomycosis and compare it with microscopy and culture. Fifty-two patients with clinically suspected onychomycosis were included in this study. After a sufficient amount of specimen was taken from the nail, PCR, microscopy and cultural methods were used in the examination of the samples. Out of all the 52 specimens, 40 (77%) specimens were positive by microscopy, 12 (23%) by culture, and 20 (38%) by PCR. In conclusion, if enough material can be taken, the PCR method appears to be a valuable diagnostic tool in cases where fungus can not be detected by conventional methods.
甲癣是一种指甲的真菌感染，占所有指甲疾病的50%。然而，对于甲癣并没有可预测的成功诊断方法。本研究的目的是证明聚合酶链反应（PCR）在甲癣诊断中的可行性，并将其与显微镜检查和培养法进行比较。本研究纳入了52例临床疑似甲癣的患者。从指甲采集足够量的标本后，采用PCR、显微镜检查和培养法对样本进行检测。在所有52份标本中，显微镜检查阳性40份（77%），培养法阳性12份（23%），PCR阳性20份（38%）。总之，如果能获取足够的材料，在无法通过传统方法检测到真菌的情况下，PCR方法似乎是一种有价值的诊断工具。
