Retrospective diagnosis of diphtheria by detection of the Corynebacterium diphtheriae tox gene in a formaldehyde-fixed throat swab using PCR and sequencing analysis.
The tox gene of Corynebacterium diphtheriae was detected in a formaldehyde-fixed throat swab taken from a 68-year-old man who was reported to have died of suffocation due to a pharyngeal tumor. DNA templates prepared from bacterial cells fixed with 10% formaldehyde were subjected to a PCR analysis with tox gene-specific PCR primers. The resultant 112-nucleotide-long PCR product was sequenced using a dye terminator method, and an expected 57-nucleotide-long internal sequence of the tox gene was detected. This method is applicable for retrospective diagnosis in diphtheria cases in which only a formaldehyde-fixed clinical sample is available.
Komiya
T
T
Department of Bacterial and Blood Products, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
Shibata
N
N
Ito
M
M
Takahashi
M
M
Arakawa
Y
Y
D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004165:Diphtheria / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin / Q000235:genetics*; D005557:Formaldehyde; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010614:Pharynx / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013048:Specimen Handling; D016707:Tissue Fixation
D017931:DNA Primers; D004167:Diphtheria Toxin; D005557:Formaldehyde