Comparison of Virus Culture and the Polymerase Chain Reaction for Diagnosis of Mucocutaneous Herpes Simplex Virus Infection
Autor: | Jose Cuan, Gail Bolan, Sharon Safrin, Howard Shaw, Chiang Chih-Sheng |
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Rok vydání: | 1997 |
Předmět: |
Male
Microbiology (medical) viruses Mucocutaneous zone Dermatology medicine.disease_cause Polymerase Chain Reaction Herpesviridae Virus law.invention law Alphaherpesvirinae medicine Humans Simplexvirus Skin Diseases Infectious Polymerase chain reaction biology business.industry Viral culture Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Herpes Simplex biology.organism_classification Virology Infectious Diseases Herpes simplex virus Immunology Female Viral disease business |
Zdroj: | Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 24:176-180 |
ISSN: | 0148-5717 |
Popis: | Background and Objectives: The diagnosis of mucocutaneous herpes simplex virus (HSV) is hampered by suboptimal sensitivity of virus culture and atypical clinical morphology. Goals: To compare the diagnostic usefulness of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and virus culture. Study Design: Consecutive samples from 246 patients at an urban sexually transmitted diseases clinic were tested for HSV by both PCR and virus culture. Results: Only 59% of HSV-positive samples were correctly diagnosed by the clinician; 11% had an atypical appearance. HSV-positive lesions were more often vesiculoulcerative or crusted than HSV-negative lesions, and of shorter median duration. Thirty-one samples were PCR positive and virus culture negative; these were often from crusted or older lesions. However, PCR was negative in 27 instances in which HSV was diagnosed clinically, of which 2 were vesicular and 15 ulcerative. Conclusions: HSV PCR is more rapid and sensitive than virus culture for diagnosis of mucocutaneous lesions. The data suggesting that PCR may be suboptimally sensitive need to be further investigated. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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