This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Liberator, P A Articles by Schmatz, D M Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Liberator, P A Articles by Schmatz, D M

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

J Clin Microbiol. 1992 November; 30(11): 2968-2974

Comparative study of antipneumocystis agents in rats by using a Pneumocystis carinii-specific DNA probe to quantitate infection.

Department of Genetics, Merck Research Laboratories, Rahway, New Jersey 07065.

ABSTRACT

A repetitive genomic DNA clone (B12-2) that specifically hybridizes to Pneumocystis carinii DNA has been identified. No cross-hybridization to genomic DNA prepared from bacteria, other fungi, protozoa, or mammals was observed. Clone B12-2 is multiply represented in the P. carinii genome. By direct hybridization to DNA prepared from the lungs of immunosuppressed rats, the probe can detect the equivalent of fewer than 1,000 P. carinii organisms. A hybridization assay employing clone B12-2 has been developed to quantitate organism load in the rat model for P. carinii. Application of the assay to track the accumulation of organisms during the immunosuppression regimen as well as to monitor the efficacy of two drug therapies used clinically for the treatment of P. carinii pneumonia is described here. The clone B12-2 hybridization assay for the determination of P. carinii organism load possesses several advantageous features and thus should serve to complement conventional staining and immunohistochemical methods.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Powles, M. A., Liberator, P., Anderson, J., Karkhanis, Y., Dropinski, J. F., Bouffard, F. A., Balkovec, J. M., Fujioka, H., Aikawa, M., McFadden, D., Schmatz, D. (1998). Efficacy of MK-991 (L-743,872), a Semisynthetic Pneumocandin, in Murine Models of Pneumocystis carinii. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 42: 1985-1989 [Abstract] [Full Text]