Journal of clinical microbiology
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J. Clin. Microbiol. · Sep 2011
Sensitivity and specificity of immunocytochemical staining of mycobacterial antigens in the cytoplasm of cerebrospinal fluid macrophages for diagnosing tuberculous meningitis.
The sensitivity and specificity of immunocytochemical staining of mycobacterial antigens in the cytoplasm of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) macrophages for diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM) was prospectively compared with Ahuja criteria from 393 consecutive CSF specimens. The assay can play an important role for the diagnosis of TBM, with sensitivity of 73.5% and specificity of 90.7%.
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J. Clin. Microbiol. · Sep 2011
Comparative StudyImproved detection of respiratory viruses in pediatric outpatients with acute respiratory illness by real-time PCR using nasopharyngeal flocked swabs.
Detection of respiratory viruses by real-time multiplexed PCR (M-PCR) and of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) by M-PCR and immunofluorescence (IF) was evaluated using specimens collected by nasopharyngeal flocked swabbing (NFS) and nasal washes (NW). In children with mild respiratory illness, NFS collection was superior to NW collection for detection of viruses by M-PCR (sensitivity, 89.6% versus 79.2%; P = 0.0043). NFS collection was noninferior to NW collection in the detection of RSV by IF.
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J. Clin. Microbiol. · Aug 2011
Antifungal susceptibilities of Sporothrix albicans, S. brasiliensis, and S. luriei of the S. schenckii complex identified in Brazil.
We studied 40 strains of the species complex formerly classified as the single species Sporothrix schenckii to identify new species within this complex and evaluate their antifungal susceptibility profiles. Based on phenotypic tests (ability to grow at 37°C, colony diameters, and pigmentation of the colonies, as well as assimilation of sucrose and raffinose) and molecular assays (amplification of a fragment of the calmodulin gene), here we report the identification of S. albicans, S. brasiliensis, S. luriei, and S. schenckii; two isolates of these species were detected as itraconazole-resistant strains.
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J. Clin. Microbiol. · Aug 2011
Randomized Controlled TrialEvaluation of oral antiseptic rinsing before sputum collection to reduce contamination of mycobacterial cultures.
To assess whether rinsing with oral antiseptics before sputum collection would reduce contamination of mycobacterial cultures, 120 patients with suspected tuberculosis were randomly assigned to rinse with chlorhexidine or cetylpyridinium mouthwash before collection. The culture contamination rate was significantly lower after rinsing with chlorhexidine before collection, especially for cultures grown in MGIT medium.