title: Diagnosis of bacterial endophthalmitis by broad-range quantitative PCR.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the bacterial genome in ocular fluids and to analyse the clinical relevance of infectious endophthalmitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen ocular fluid samples (eight aqueous humour and 11 vitreous fluid samples) were collected from 19 patients with suspected bacterial endophthalmitis. Fifty ocular samples from uveitis patients were also collected along with 40 samples from patients without ocular inflammation and used as controls. Bacterial ribosomal DNA (16S rDNA) was measured by a quantitative PCR assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Bacterial 16S rDNA was detected in patients with clinically suspected bacterial endophthalmitis (18/19, 95%). With the exception of one case, high copy numbers of bacterial DNA were detected (1.7×10(3)-1.7×10(9) copies/ml) in these patients. There were 10 samples (53%) with positive bacterial cultures while there were nine samples (47%) with positive Gram-staining. Real-time PCR detected bacterial 16S rDNA in three (6%) of the 50 samples from the control uveitis patients. In addition, none of the samples from the control patients without intraocular inflammation were positive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Quantitative broad-range PCR of bacterial 16S rDNA is a useful tool for diagnosing bacterial endophthalmitis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8519, Japan.
authors.forename: Sunao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sugita
authors.forename: Norio
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katayama
authors.forename: Shintaro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horie
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takase
authors.forename: Yoshiharu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sugamoto
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mochizuki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis*; D009877:Endophthalmitis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D015818:Eye Infections, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014605:Uveitis / Q000382:microbiology*; D014822:Vitreous Body / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S