Rapid diagnosis of fungal infection in patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis by polymerase chain reaction.
OBJECTIVE
This study was conducted to assess the rapid diagnosis of fungal infections in patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis by polymerase chain reaction [PCR] using universal primers targeting the 18S rRNA gene.


METHODS
In this study, a PCR assay was developed to identify clinically isolated fungi, and both PCR technique and conventional culture were used to detect fungi in 37 samples from patients with acute necrotizing pancreatitis.


RESULTS
A 197-bp fragment was amplified by PCR from all the clinically isolated fungal strains. This fragment was not isolated from gram-positive, gram-negative bacteria or human leucocytes. Thirty-seven samples of necrotic tissue or peripancreatic fluid from 11 patients were also analyzed, and eight samples were positive for fungi by PCR, six of which were also positive by conventional culture. The whole PCR procedure was completed within 7 hours.


CONCLUSIONS
PCR can be used to diagnose fungal infection secondary to acute necrotizing pancreatitis rapidly and sensitively.
Zhang
Wei-Zhong
WZ
Department of Surgery, Taizhou First Hospital, Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, Peoples Republic of China. zhangweizhong11@hotmail.com
Han
Tian-Quan
TQ
Tang
Yao-Qing
YQ
Zhang
Sheng-Dao
SD
D000328:Adult; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009181:Mycoses / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics*; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013997:Time Factors