Real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae in sputum samples from patients with community-acquired pneumonia.
OBJECTIVE
A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method targeting the pneumolysin gene of Streptococcus pneumoniae in sputum specimens from patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) was evaluated for the identification of pneumococci.


METHODS
The applicability of the assay to clinical samples was evaluated by studying 140 sputum specimens from patients with CAP. Of the specimens, 96 (68.6%) were found to be positive by real-time PCR. The results were compared to culture findings.


RESULTS
The sensitivity and specificity of the real-time PCR assay developed in this study as compared to those of the culture method were 97.2% and 60.9%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Real-time PCR assay was found to be a rapid and sensitive method for the detection of pneumococci.
Bayram
Aysen
A
Department of Microbiology and Clinical Microbiology, Gaziantep University Medical Faculty, Gaziantep, Turkey. aysenbayram@hotmail.com
Kocoglu
Esra
E
Balci
Iclal
I
Filiz
Ayten
A
Eksi
Fahriye
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D017931:DNA Primers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011018:Pneumonia, Pneumococcal / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013301:Streptolysins / Q000235:genetics
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D013301:Streptolysins; C032290:plY protein, Streptococcus pneumoniae