title: Assessment of various diagnostic methods of ureaplasma respiratory tract infections in newborns.
abstract: We compared three methods used microbial culturing for detection of ureaplasmas in endotracheal aspirate from 500 prematurely born neonates with respiratory disturbances: BioMerieux test, PCR and microbial culturing. Ureaplasmas were detected in respiratory tracts of 79 (16%) newborns. Correlation of the results of culture with those obtained with the BioMerieux kit, culture with PCR and BioMerieux kit with PCR was 97%, 89% and 90%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of PCR in comparison with culture was 86% and 98%, respectively, and of the BioMerieux kit 96% and 98%. PCR can be recommended in rapid diagnostics of respiratory infections in newborns suffering from respiratory disorders. It allows the detection of ureaplasmas in case of parallel infections and identification of their species.
authors.affiliation: Department Virology, Chair of Microbiology, Medical College of Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland. msudolsk@cm-uj.krakow.pl
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biernat-Sudolska
authors.forename: Danuta
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rojek-Zakrzewska
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lauterbach
mesh_terms: D017931:DNA Primers; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D019535:Mycoplasma hominis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013045:Species Specificity; D014132:Trachea / Q000382:microbiology; D014509:Ureaplasma / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016869:Ureaplasma Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers