SENSITIVITY OF A POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION-BASED ASSAY TO DETECT ONCHOCERCA-VOLVULUS DNA IN SKIN BIOPSIES

Citation
P. Fischer et al., SENSITIVITY OF A POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION-BASED ASSAY TO DETECT ONCHOCERCA-VOLVULUS DNA IN SKIN BIOPSIES, Parasitology research, 82(5), 1996, pp. 395-401
Citations number
16
Categorie Soggetti
Parasitiology
Journal title
ISSN journal
09320113
Volume
82
Issue
5
Year of publication
1996
Pages
395 - 401
Database
ISI
SICI code
0932-0113(1996)82:5<395:SOAPCR>2.0.ZU;2-Q
Abstract
A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of a 150-bp tandem repeat of Onchoce rca volvulus (O-150) combined with Southern-blot hybridization to spec ies-specific DNA probes was employed for DNA detection. O-150 was ampl ified from parasites originating from Uganda, Benin, Cameroon, Liberia , Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Zaire and was successfully hybridized to digoxigenin-labeled oligonucleotides. To investigate the sensitivi ty of the PCR, 2 skin biopsies were taken from each of 227 persons fro m Uganda with proven O. volvulus infections but with low microfilaria (mf) densities due to ivermectin treatment. One biopsy was tested by P CR and the other was digested using collagenase to assess the total nu mber of mf. The PCR revealed 76.2% of the samples to be positive, and the collagenase method showed that 78.9% were positive, indicating sim ilar sensitivity for the two methods. It is probable that for both tec hniques the biopsy must contain at least one live mf or fragments of a dead mf. In this study, no free or circulating O. volvulus DNA could be detected in skin biopsies by PCR.