title: Sensitivity and Specificity of a Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Assay for the Detection of Mycoplasma Pneumonia from Nasopharyngeal Swab Samples Compared with those of Real-time PCR.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay kit for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumonia (Eiken Chemical Co., Ltd, Tokyo, Japan) from nasopharyngeal swab samples compared with those of real-time PCR.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nasopharyngeal swab samples taken from 223 patients aged 3 - 18 years who were suspected of having respiratory tract infections associated with Mycoplasma pneumonia were used in this study. The samples were tested both by the LAMP assay and by real-time PCR for detection of Mycoplasma pneumonia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sensitivity and specificity of the LAMP assay for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumonia were 99.1% (105/106) and 100.0% (117/117), respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The LAMP assay for the detection of Mycoplasma pneumonia is an accurate and fast assay that is suitable as a diagnostic tool in the acute phase of Mycoplasma pneumonia infection.
authors.forename: Nobuhisa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishiguro
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koseki
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kaiho
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kikuta
authors.forename: Takehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Togashi
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ariga
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000382:microbiology*; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000382:microbiology; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity