Goldani L Z, Sugar A M
Infectious Diseases Unit, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1998 Feb;58(2):152-3. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.1998.58.152.
The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect the presence of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in a murine model of disseminated paracoccidioidomycosis. Using a previously identified P. brasiliensis-specific DNA sequence, P. brasiliensis DNA was detected in serum of five experimentally infected mice. The PCR method was able to detect as little as 10 pg of P. brasiliensis DNA in serum, and it was more sensitive than blood culture isolation (five of five were PCR positive versus two of five blood culture positive). There were no amplified fragments in serum from three noninfected control mice. Lung colony counts were similar in all infected mice and reflected a similar degree of P. brasiliensis infection at the time the samples were drawn. The relatively short processing time for the PCR, when compared with culture, its sensitivity, and the possibility of using serum samples for analysis, are important factors favoring this method for the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis. Future studies should include the detection of P. brasiliensis in patients with different clinical forms of paracoccidioidomycosis.
聚合酶链反应（PCR）用于在播散性副球孢子菌病小鼠模型中检测巴西副球孢子菌的存在。利用先前鉴定的巴西副球孢子菌特异性DNA序列，在五只实验感染小鼠的血清中检测到了巴西副球孢子菌DNA。PCR方法能够检测出血清中低至10 pg的巴西副球孢子菌DNA，且比血培养分离更敏感（五只中有五只PCR阳性，而五只血培养中有两只阳性）。三只未感染对照小鼠的血清中未出现扩增片段。所有感染小鼠的肺部菌落计数相似，反映出在采集样本时巴西副球孢子菌的感染程度相似。与培养相比，PCR相对较短的处理时间、其敏感性以及使用血清样本进行分析的可能性，都是有利于该方法诊断副球孢子菌病的重要因素。未来的研究应包括检测不同临床形式副球孢子菌病患者体内的巴西副球孢子菌。
