Two-step PCR in the retrospective diagnosis of enteroviral viraemia.
Enteroviral infections are potentially serious in man causing a variety of syndromes and a viraemic phase is probable in most patients. However, virological diagnosis is usually indirect by isolation of the agent from throat or stools when possible, and/or slow due to the need to titrate antibodies in paired sera. Because of its high sensitivity the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) offers the possibility of rapid detection of even low-grade viraemia. We have developed a 2-step PCR procedure adapted for enteroviruses and applied it to stored sera from patients with enteroviral meningitis. The acute sera from 7/12 patients were positive but the 4 convalescence sera tested, 2 of which had been positive at the acute phase, were negative. The assay should now be tested prospectively on serum and cerebrospinal fluid and could be developed for routine diagnosis.
Thorén
A
A
Department of Infectious Diseases, University of Lund, General Hospital, Malmö, Sweden.
Robinson
A J
AJ
Maguire
T
T
Jenkins
R
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001483:Base Sequence; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000737:chemistry; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014766:Viremia / Q000175:diagnosis*
D004279:DNA, Viral; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012367:RNA, Viral