Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13(1), 726-736; doi:10.3390/ijms13010726
Article

Assessment of Aspergillus fumigatus in Guinea Pig Bronchoalveolar Lavages and Pulmonary Tissue by Culture and Realtime Polymerase Chain Reaction Studies

Dennis G. Hooper 1,* email, Vincent E. Bolton 1 , John S. Sutton 2 , Frederick T. Guilford 3 , David C. Straus 4 , Laura K. Najvar 5,6 , Nathan P. Wiederhold 5,7 , William R. Kirkpatrick 5,6  and Thomas F. Patterson 5,6
1 RealTime Laboratories, Inc, 4100 Fairway Court, #600, Carrollton, TX 75010, USA 2 S&S BioConsulting, LLC, Austin, TX 78660, USA 3 Your Energy Systems, 5050 El Camino Real, #110, Los Altos, CA 94022, USA 4 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA 5 Department of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA 6 South Texas Veterans Health Care System, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA 7 Division of Pharmacotherapy, University of Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy, Austin, TX 78712, USA
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 24 November 2011; in revised form: 10 December 2011 / Accepted: 6 January 2012 / Published: 11 January 2012
(This article belongs to the Section Molecular Diagnostics)
PDF Full-text Download PDF Full-Text [293 KB, uploaded 11 January 2012 09:12 CET]
Abstract: In this study we pursued a diagnostic target in Aspergillus fumigatus (AF) by using qualitative Realtime PCR combined with proprietary DNA primers and a hydrolysis probe specific for this fungal target. Qualitative Realtime PCR is a diagnostic tool that utilizes Realtime PCR technology and detects the presence or absence target specific DNA within a predetermined detection range. Respiratory tissue and fluids from experimentally infected guinea pigs were tested by extracting DNA from the samples which were amplified and detected using AF specific DNA primers and probe. This study included qualitative evaluations of all specimens for the presence of the DNA of AF. The findings in the tissues after AF infection were compared to the numbers of spores in aerosolized samples used to inoculate the animals. Results demonstrated that the specific probe and primer set could detect the presence or absence of AF DNA in the sample. The qualitative detection limit of the assay ranged from 6 × 104 copies to 6 copies. Since blood cultures are rarely positive for Aspergillosis, our data indicate that qualitative Realtime PCR, in combination with the appropriate DNA primers and probe can serve as an effective diagnostic tool in the early detection of fungal infections.
Keywords: Aspergillus fumigatus; Realtime PCR; bronchoalveolar lavages

Article Statistics

Click here to load and display the download statistics.

Cite This Article

MDPI and ACS Style

Hooper, D.G.; Bolton, V.E.; Sutton, J.S.; Guilford, F.T.; Straus, D.C.; Najvar, L.K.; Wiederhold, N.P.; Kirkpatrick, W.R.; Patterson, T.F. Assessment of Aspergillus fumigatus in Guinea Pig Bronchoalveolar Lavages and Pulmonary Tissue by Culture and Realtime Polymerase Chain Reaction Studies. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2012, 13, 726-736.

AMA Style

Hooper DG, Bolton VE, Sutton JS, Guilford FT, Straus DC, Najvar LK, Wiederhold NP, Kirkpatrick WR, Patterson TF. Assessment of Aspergillus fumigatus in Guinea Pig Bronchoalveolar Lavages and Pulmonary Tissue by Culture and Realtime Polymerase Chain Reaction Studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2012; 13(1):726-736.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hooper, Dennis G.; Bolton, Vincent E.; Sutton, John S.; Guilford, Frederick T.; Straus, David C.; Najvar, Laura K.; Wiederhold, Nathan P.; Kirkpatrick, William R.; Patterson, Thomas F. 2012. "Assessment of Aspergillus fumigatus in Guinea Pig Bronchoalveolar Lavages and Pulmonary Tissue by Culture and Realtime Polymerase Chain Reaction Studies." Int. J. Mol. Sci. 13, no. 1: 726-736.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. EISSN 1422-0067 Published by MDPI AG, Basel, Switzerland RSS E-Mail Table of Contents Alert