title: Evaluation of brucellosis by PCR and persistence after treatment in patients returning to the hospital for follow-up.
abstract: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was applied to confirm the diagnosis of brucellosis and to study its clearance in response to the standard treatment regimen with doxycycline and rifampin at hospitals in Callao and Lima, Peru. The PCR confirmed the diagnosis in 23 (91.7%) patients with brucellosis including 12 culture-confirmed cases. For patients treated at the hospital in Callao, PCR was positive for all samples collected during and at the conclusion of treatment and for 76.9% of follow-up samples collected on average 15.9 weeks after completion of treatment. For patients treated at the hospital in Lima, PCR tests were positive for 81.8% of samples collected during treatment, for 33.3% of samples collected at the conclusion of treatment, and for > or = 50% of samples collected at first, second, and third post-treatment follow-up. Thus, Brucella DNA may persist in the serum weeks to months after completion of the standard treatment regimen.
authors.affiliation: KIT Biomedical Research, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kathlène S J S M
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Maas
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Méndez
authors.forename: Milagros
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zavaleta
authors.forename: Jennie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Manrique
authors.forename: María Pía
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Franco
authors.forename: Maximilian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: Nilo
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bonifacio
authors.forename: Maria L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Castañeda
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chacaltana
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yagui
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Gilman
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guillen
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Blazes
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Espinosa
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Theresia H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Abdoel
authors.forename: Henk L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Smits
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002002:Brucella / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D004318:Doxycycline / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012293:Rifampin / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004318:Doxycycline; D012293:Rifampin