UTILITY OF REVERSE-TRANSCRIPTASE (RT) IN-SITU POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION (PCR) IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF VIRAL-INFECTIONS

This paper illustrates the utility of the reverse transcriptase (RT) i n situ polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique in determining the sp ecific virus present in paraffin embedded, formalin fixed tissue secti ons. Four autopsy cases were chosen for this purpose. In each case the patient developed a short illness and died before a definitive diagno sis could be made. Multinucleated cells associated with marked inflamm ation and degeneration of the lung or liver of each patient were evide nt. By using RT in situ PCR, it was possible to demonstrate that the d ifferent cases represented infections by parvovirus, the measles virus , the respiratory syncytial virus, and the hepatitis C virus, respecti vely. The latter 3 are RNA viruses that can be difficult to detect by standard in situ hybridization because they are usually present within the infected cells in relatively low copy number. The RT in situ PCR technique allows the rapid and specific determination of a viral infec tion in paraffin embedded, archival material or in cytology preparatio ns.