Detection of legionella bacteria in sewage by polymerase chain reaction and standard culture method

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 409-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce M. Roll ◽  
Roger S. Fujioka
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Culture Method ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Standard Culture ◽  
Pontiac Fever ◽  
Legionella Species ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Legionella bacteria are ubiquitous in environmental waters. Only a few species of Legionella , especially, L. pneumophila are pathogenic to humans and cause a sometimes fatal Legionnaires disease as well as a less fatal disease called Pontiac fever. The presence of Legionella in sewage and aerosolized sewage is the subject of this investigation because reuse of sewage may involve the exposure of people to aerosolization, the mode of transmission of Legionella bacteria. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Legionella species and L. pneumophila in wastewater and their fate after various stages of treatment. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and standard culture method were utilized to detect Legionella species and L. pneumophila. PCR results indicated that Legionella species were present at levels > 103 cells / ml during all phases of sewage treatment including chlorinated effluents. Culture results indicated levels at least one log lower than seen with PCR. Legionella species were also recovered from air samples collected from secondary aeration basins at levels < 103 cells/ml. PCR was shown to be the most rapid and sensitive method for detecting Legionella in sewage.

Using a Polymerase Chain Reaction as a Complementary Test to Improve the Detection of Dermatophyte Fungus in Nails

2014 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
María José Iglesias Sánchez ◽  
Ana María Pérez Pico ◽  
Félix Marcos Tejedor ◽  
María Jesús Iglesias Sánchez ◽  
Raquel Mayordomo Acevedo
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Classical Method ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Culture Method ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Traditional Procedure ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Background Dermatomycoses are a group of pathologic abnormalities frequently seen in clinical practice, and their prevalence has increased in recent decades. Diagnostic confirmation of mycotic infection in nails is essential because there are several pathologic conditions with similar clinical manifestations. The classical method for confirming the presence of fungus in nail is microbiological culture and the identification of morphological structures by microscopy. Methods We devised a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that amplifies specific DNA sequences of dermatophyte fungus that is notably faster than the 3 to 4 weeks that the traditional procedure takes. We compared this new technique and the conventional plate culture method in 225 nail samples. The results were subjected to statistical analysis. Results We found concordance in 78.2% of the samples analyzed by the two methods and increased sensitivity when simultaneously using the two methods to analyze clinical samples. Now we can confirm the presence of dermatophyte fungus in most of the positive samples in just 24 hours, and we have to wait for the result of culture only in negative PCR cases. Conclusions Although this PCR cannot, at present, substitute for the traditional culture method in the detection of dermatophyte infection of the nails, it can be used as a complementary technique because its main advantage lies in the significant reduction of time used for diagnosis, in addition to higher sensitivity.

Use of Polymerase Chain Reaction in an Epidemiologic Investigation of Pontiac Fever

1993 ◽  
Vol 168 (3) ◽  
pp. 769-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Miller ◽  
J. L. Beebe ◽  
J. C. Butler ◽  
W. Martin ◽  
R. Benson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Epidemiologic Investigation ◽  
Pontiac Fever ◽  
Polymerase Chain

Subtyping ofLegionella pneumophilaisolates by arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction

1995 ◽  
Vol 41 (9) ◽  
pp. 846-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Ledesma ◽  
J. Llorca ◽  
M. A. Dasí ◽  
M. L. Camaró ◽  
E. Carbonell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Legionella Pneumophila ◽  
Water Sources ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Single Room ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Resort Hotel ◽  
Different Water Sources

Arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) was used to differentiate strains of Legionella pneumophila isolated from different water sources in a resort hotel in Benidorm, Alicante, Spain, where an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease occurred among a group of tourists between 65 and 80 years of age. All isolates were L. pneumophila serogroup 1, subtype Pontiac (Knoxville 1). Five different patterns (P1 to P5) were obtained by AP-PCR. The number of bands per pattern varied between 4 and 11. Patterns P1 and P2 represented 60 and 20% of L. pneumophila isolates, respectively. Since different subpopulations of L. pneumophila coexisted (up to three different AP-PCR patterns were identified in a single room), it was not possible to link an individual L. pneumophila strain to the occurrence of this outbreak.Key words: Legionella pneumophila, AP-PCR, subtyping, outbreak.

scholarly journals Absence of themecA Gene in Methicillin ResistantStaphylococcus aureusIsolated from Different Clinical Specimens in Shendi City, Sudan

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mogahid M. Elhassan ◽  
Hani A. Ozbak ◽  
Hassan A. Hemeg ◽  
Miskelyemen A. Elmekki ◽  
Leila M. Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Conventional Method ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Traditional Methods ◽  
Methicillin Resistant ◽  
Clinical Specimens ◽  
Absolute Dependence ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Mrsa Strains

Absolute dependence onmecA gene as the defining standard in determining the resistance ofS. aureusto methicillin became the subject of distrust by many researchers. The present study aimed to determine the frequency ofmecA gene in methicillin resistantS. aureus(MRSA) isolates using polymerase chain reaction and to correlate its presence to conventional method. In this regard, two hundredS. aureusisolates were collected from patients with different diseases attending different hospitals in Shandi City, Sudan. Phenotypic Kirby-Bauer method confirmed the existence of methicillin resistantS. aureusin 61.5% of the subjected isolates with MICs ranging from 4 μg/mL to 256 μg/mL when usingE-test. However, when amplifying a 310 bp fragment of themecA gene by PCR, twelve out of the 123 MRSA isolates (9.8%) weremecA negative, whereas all the 77 methicillin sensitiveS. aureus(MSSA) weremecA negative. In conclusion, this study drew attention to the credibility of themecA gene and its usefulness in the detection of all MRSA strains without referring to the traditional methods. Hence, it is highly recommended to consider alternative mechanisms forβ-lactam resistance that may compete withmecA gene in the emergence of MRSA phenomenon in the community.

scholarly journals Impact of Routine Systematic Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing on Case Finding for Legionnaires’ Disease: A Pre–Post Comparison Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 1275-1281 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R. Murdoch ◽  
Roslyn G. Podmore ◽  
Trevor P. Anderson ◽  
Kevin Barratt ◽  
Michael J. Maze ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Case Finding ◽  
Comparison Study ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing ◽  
Legionnaires Disease ◽  
Polymerase Chain

scholarly journals Detection of Campylobacter spp. in children diarrhea by using Polymerase Chain Reaction PCR technique in Al-Diwanyiah Governorate

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
A. H. AL-Hamadani And Z.F.Saleh
Keyword(s):  
Polymerase Chain Reaction ◽  
Culture Method ◽  
Laboratory Diagnosis ◽  
Routine Laboratory ◽  
Direct Examination ◽  
Chain Reaction ◽  
Culture Methods ◽  
Stool Samples ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Campylobacter Spp

This study was conducted in order to identify Campylobacter spp. As a causative agent of diarrhea in children using routine laboratory diagnosis (direct and culture methods) in comparison with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique as a confirm diagnostic tool. A total of 100 children stool samples were collected from both sexes at ages less than two years old suffering from diarrhea who admitted the maternity and Pediatric Teaching hospital in Al-Diwaniyiah Governorate from December 2007 to August 2008. Based on the clinical and laboratory diagnosis, results revealed that the percent of Campylobacter isolation was 8% included C. coli and C. jejuni for children samples. In addition, the results haven't revealed any statistically significant (P≥0.01) between the rate of infection and sexes, while there was a statistically significant (P≤0.01) between these rates and ages, where it noted that patients (>1) years old were more prone to infect with Campylobacter spp. exposure to infections. The results revealed that the PCR positive samples contained one band of amplified DNA with a molecular weight (816 bp) after electrophoresis and examined under UV- transilluminator. The study also showed that the sensitivity and specificity of PCR technique were 40% and 100% respectively for examination children samples, when compared with direct examination, but were with culture method were 33% and 100%; respectively in children.

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