Department of Infectious Disease, University of Gothenburg, Box 7193, 402 34, Gothenburg, Sweden,
Mycopathologia. 2013 Oct;176(3-4):237-41. doi: 10.1007/s11046-013-9691-7. Epub 2013 Aug 15.
The laboratory diagnosis of dermatophytosis is usually based on direct microscopic examination and culturing of clinical specimens. A commercial polymerase chain reaction kit (Dermatophyte PCR) has had favorable results when used for detection of dermatophytes and identification of Trichophyton rubrum in nail specimens. This study investigated the efficacy of the Dermatophyte PCR kit for detecting dermatophytosis in 191 hair or skin specimens from patients with suspected dermatophytosis. PCR was positive for 37 % of samples, whereas 31 and 39 % of the specimens were positive by culturing and direct microscopy, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for PCR analysis were 83, 84, 71, and 91 %, respectively. The sensitivity of the PCR test was higher in specimens obtained from skin (88 %) than in those obtained from hair (58 %), while the specificity remained almost the same (84 and 86 % for skin and hair, respectively). Our results show that the Dermatophyte PCR kit is a promising diagnostic tool for detection of dermatophytosis in skin samples, providing clinicians with a rapid diagnosis.
皮肤癣菌病的实验室诊断通常基于临床标本的直接显微镜检查和培养。一种商用聚合酶链反应试剂盒（Dermatophyte PCR）在检测皮肤癣菌和鉴定指甲标本中的红色毛癣菌时具有良好的效果。本研究调查了 Dermatophyte PCR 试剂盒在 191 例疑似皮肤癣菌病患者的毛发或皮肤标本中检测皮肤癣菌病的效果。PCR 对 37%的样本呈阳性，而培养和直接显微镜检查分别有 31%和 39%的样本呈阳性。PCR 分析的灵敏度、特异性、阳性预测值和阴性预测值分别为 83%、84%、71%和 91%。PCR 检测在皮肤标本中的敏感性（88%）高于毛发标本（58%），而特异性几乎相同（皮肤和毛发的特异性分别为 84%和 86%）。我们的结果表明，Dermatophyte PCR 试剂盒是一种很有前途的皮肤样本皮肤癣菌病检测诊断工具，为临床医生提供了快速诊断。
