title: Adenovirus myocarditis: retrospective diagnosis by gene amplification from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues.
abstract: Understanding the pathogenesis of viral myocarditis is linked to the availability of sensitive assays to detect viruses in clinical material. Recent advances in molecular techniques permit direct detection of viral-specific nucleic acid in tissue samples. This report describes a protocol for DNA extraction and amplification of adenovirus genome from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human tissues that detects as little as 10 copies of viral genome in a background of 0.5 micrograms of human DNA. This sensitive assay permitted the examination of archived tissues to establish a retrospective diagnosis of adenoviral myocarditis in two pediatric patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla 92093.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lozinski
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: H F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Krous
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Billman
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Burns
mesh_terms: D000258:Adenovirus Infections, Human / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D000260:Adenoviruses, Human / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014021:Tissue Preservation
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral