Antinori Spinello, Calattini Sara, Piolini Roberta, Longhi Erika, Bestetti Giovanna, Cascio Antonio, Parravicini Carlo, Corbellino Mario
Department of Clinical Sciences L Sacco, section of Infectious Diseases and Immunopathology, University of Milan, Via GB Grassi 74, 20157 Milano, Italy.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2009 Jul;81(1):46-51.
It is currently unknown if the use of a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) adds value to the diagnosis and follow-up prognosis of patients affected by leishmaniasis. We performed a study using a real-time PCR directed against the alpha-polymerase gene and a semiquantitative PCR that target the SSU ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene as control for the diagnosis and quantification of parasites in patients with visceral (VL) and cutaneous (CL) leishmaniasis. Our single copy real-time PCR missed one diagnosis of VL compared with the conventional PCR, whereas both PCR methods were able to detect Leishmania parasites in CL. Under anti-leishmania treatment the kinetics of parasitemia were comparable with the two methods. The real-time PCR directed against alpha-polymerase of Leishmania despite being able to make a more accurate quantification of parasites does not add to the decision-making management compared with a semiquantitative PCR, and it is comparatively expensive.
目前尚不清楚实时聚合酶链反应（PCR）是否能为利什曼病患者的诊断和随访预后增加价值。我们进行了一项研究，使用针对α-聚合酶基因的实时PCR和以小亚基核糖体RNA（rRNA）基因为靶点的半定量PCR作为对照，用于诊断和定量内脏利什曼病（VL）和皮肤利什曼病（CL）患者体内的寄生虫。与传统PCR相比，我们的单拷贝实时PCR漏诊了1例VL，而两种PCR方法均能检测出CL中的利什曼原虫。在抗利什曼原虫治疗下，两种方法检测到的寄生虫血症动力学相当。尽管针对利什曼原虫α-聚合酶的实时PCR能够更准确地定量寄生虫，但与半定量PCR相比，它并不能为决策管理提供更多帮助，而且成本相对较高。
