Real-time PCR assay for improved detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in paraffin-embedded tissues.
OBJECTIVE
To test the usefulness of a commercially available real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) kit for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues.


RESULTS
The examination of 24 specimens of patients with a final diagnosis of TB shows that the real-time PCR assay exhibits a higher sensitivity (66.7%) for the detection of MTBC DNA than an alternative in-house IS6110 PCR (33.3%), whereas staining detected acid-fast bacilli in only two cases (8.3%).


CONCLUSIONS
The real-time PCR assay provides a highly sensitive and specific means for the detection of MTBC DNA in histopathological specimens.
National Reference Center for Mycobacteria, Research Center Borstel, Germany. dhillemann@fz-borstel.de
D
D
Hillemann
J
J
Galle
E
E
Vollmer
E
E
Richter
D001706:Biopsy; D003106:Colon / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008168:Lung / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
D004269:DNA, Bacterial