title: Short report: application of a polymerase chain reaction to detect Burkholderia pseudomallei in clinical specimens from patients with suspected melioidosis.
abstract: The diagnostic potential of a Burkholderia pseudomallei type three secretion system (TTS1) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was examined on clinical specimens from 27 patients with sepsis in the Northern Territory of Australia, a region endemic for melioidosis. The TTS1 PCR was conducted on DNA extracted from a range of clinical specimens (blood, sputum, urine, joint, pericardial and pleural fluid, and swabs from skin lesions, throat, nose, and rectum). The PCR sensitivity in culture-positive clinical specimens from the nine confirmed patients with melioidosis was 65% and the specificity was 100%, with no PCR-positive results in specimens from 18 patients without melioidosis. The PCR based on the B. pseudomallei TTS1 has the potential to substantially improve the timeliness of diagnosis of melioidosis.
authors.affiliation: Tropical and Emerging Infectious Diseases Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gal
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mayo
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Allen C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Bart J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Currie
mesh_terms: D016957:Burkholderia pseudomallei / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008554:Melioidosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D015876:Northern Territory / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial