title: Red blood cells in cerebrospinal fluid as possible inhibitory factor for enterovirus RT-PCR.
abstract: The presence of hemoglobin in samples are considered an important inhibitory factor for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The aim of this study was to examine the influence of red blood cells (RBC)s in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as an inhibitory factor to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for enteroviruses (EV). Forty-four CSF samples from patients showing characteristics of viral meningitis were assessed for EV by RT-PCR. Viral RNA extracted with guanidine isothyocianate buffer and virus detection was performed by in-house nested PCR. Positivity for EV RT-PCR was higher in CSF samples without RBCs than in samples with RBCs: 13(26%) and 36(9.2%), p = 0.001. In the group with positive EV RT-PCR, the mean + SD CSF RBC was 37 ± 183 cell/mm3; the group with negative results had 580 + 2,890 cell/mm3 (p = 0.007). The acceptable upper limit for CSF RBCs that could not influence RT-PCR was 108 cells/mm3. CSF samples with negative results for EV RT-PCR have more erythrocytes.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital de Clínicas, Seção de Virologia, Curitiba PR, Brasil.|Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba PR, Brasil.|Instituto de Pesquisa Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Sérgio Monteiro de
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital de Clínicas, Seção de Virologia, Curitiba PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Sônia Mara
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Raboni
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital de Clínicas, Seção de Virologia, Curitiba PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Meri Bordignon
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Paraná, Hospital de Clínicas, Seção de Virologia, Curitiba PR, Brasil.
authors.forename: Luine R Renaud
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Vidal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000166:cytology* / Q000821:virology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D004770:Enterovirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid / Q000821:virology; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004912:Erythrocytes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008587:Meningitis, Viral / Q000821:virology; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid; D012016:Reference Values; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral