Progress in diagnosing herpesvirus infections.
As molecular biology has developed, several new diagnostic techniques have found application in the clinical setting. The use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay to study the molecular biology of microbial organisms has led to unparalleled advances, largely due to the rapidity with which results can be obtained. The sensitivity and specificity of PCR detection of viral DNA for diagnostic purposes are remarkable. With such excellent sensitivity, PCR is destined to become a useful diagnostic tool in herpesvirus infections. However, it is well known that herpesviruses establish latency after primary infections and that they can often be reactivated under various conditions. Because of the high sensitivity of PCR, detection of virus sequences by this method does not necessarily imply a disease state. We must be careful not to overdiagnose conditions in a clinical setting based on a PCR assay.
Morishima
T
T
Nagoya University School of Health Science, Japan. morishim@met.nagoya-u.ac.jp
D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000821:virology; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification
D004279:DNA, Viral