Comparison of PCR and serology assays for early diagnosis of acute Q fever.

ABSTRACT: Q fever is a potentially severe disease which can occur in large outbreaks of acute infections and is a possible bioterrorism agent. In order to lessen the delay in diagnosing acute Q fever, we compared LightCycler Nested PCR (LCN-PCR), a rapid nested PCR assay that uses serum sampled early during the disease as a specimen and the LightCycler as a thermal cycler, to serology by indirect immunofluorescence. We used the 20-copy htpAB-associated element as the DNA target. The detection sensitivity of this method was one Coxiella burnetii DNA copy. We applied this method to the first serum samples taken from 100 patients diagnosed in our laboratory as having acute Q fever on the basis of clinical manifestations and serology and to 80 controls. The LCN-PCR had a specificity of 100%. The sensiti

SUBMITTER: Fournier PE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC262519 | biostudies-literature | 2003 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature