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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, January 1999, p. 31-34, Vol. 37, No. 1
Viral and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch,
Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for
Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, Georgia 30333
Received 13 July 1998/Returned for modification 20 August
1998/Accepted 22 October 1998
A PCR assay of 43 acute-phase serum samples was evaluated as a
method for early detection of human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) and
determination of etiology when serologic testing is inconclusive.
Sequence-confirmed products of the HGE agent were amplified from three
individuals residing or having exposure history in Minnesota or
Wisconsin, and similarly confirmed products from Ehrlichia
chaffeensis were amplified from three individuals from Florida or
Maryland. Etiology, as determined by PCR and serology, was the same
whenever there was a fourfold difference between the maximum titers of
antibodies to both antigens, indicating that presumptive determination
of etiology may be based on fourfold differences in titers. PCR testing
determined that E. chaffeensis was the etiologic agent for
one individual who had similar titers of antibodies to both agents. PCR
assay of acute-phase serum in the absence of whole blood specimens may
be a useful method for early detection of human ehrlichiosis and
determination of etiology when serologic testing is inconclusive.
0095-1137/99/$00.00+0
Diagnosis of Human Ehrlichiosis by PCR Assay of
Acute-Phase Serum
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Viral and
Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1600 Clifton Rd., Mailstop G-13, Atlanta, GA 30333. Phone: (404) 639-1075. Fax: (404) 639-4436. E-mail: jnc0{at}cdc.gov.
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