title: Diagnosis of herpes encephalitis via Southern blotting of cerebrospinal fluid DNA amplified by polymerase chain reaction.
abstract: Herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of DNA extracted from lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and Southern blotting (SB) were evaluated as a method for the diagnosis of herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE). Positive PCR-SB results were obtained with CSF samples from 9 of 10 patients (11 of 12 CSF specimens) with proven herpes encephalitis as early as 2 days after onset of neurological illness. Our data support the suggestion that PCR techniques may provide a clinically relevant "non-invasive" method for the diagnosis of HSE.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Sciences, University of Manchester, England.
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Klapper
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Cleator
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dennett
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D013937:Thymidine Kinase