Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2001, p. 3819-3822, Vol. 39, No. 11
Magee-Women's Research
Institute1 and Department of
Pathology,2 Department of Obstetrics,
Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences,3 and
Department of Pediatrics,4 University of
Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Received 5 April 2001/Returned for modification 7 June
2001/Accepted 12 August 2001
A double-labeled fluorescent probe was designed and evaluated for
detecting Trichomonas vaginalis DNA in a 5'
nuclease (TaqMan) assay. The T. vaginalis-specific probe
contains a 5'-fluorescein (5'-FAM) and a 3'-rhodamine (TAMRA)
derivative. Female genital secretions were collected on Amplicor (Roche
Molecular, Indianapolis, Ind.) swabs and by a transport system used for
Chlamydia trachomatis and/or Neisseria
gonorrhoeae DNA detection by PCR. Five hundred fifty-two female
genital specimens, of which 248 (45%) were vaginal specimens and 304 (55%) were introital, were tested for both T. vaginalis
DNA and viable microorganisms using the 5' nuclease assay and broth
culture, respectively. Of these, 304 of 552 (55%) were also evaluated
by direct microscopic examination for the characteristic motile
organism. After resolving discrepancies, the comparisons produced an
analytical sensitivity and specificity for the TaqMan-based PCR assay
of 97.8 and 97.4%, respectively. As a result,
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.11.3819-3822.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
TaqMan-Based Detection of Trichomonas
vaginalis DNA from Female Genital Specimens
RQ values
(differences in fluorescence due to probe hybridization and resulting
5'-FAM cleavage from the specific PCR product) of
2.0 and
1.5 were
established for T. vaginalis-positive and -negative
cutoffs, respectively.
RQ values between 1.5 and 2.0 were considered
indeterminate. Overall findings revealed a high level of agreement
between PCR and culture for detecting T. vaginalis.
Potential benefits of the 5' nuclease assay include a greater
sensitivity compared to direct microscopic examination and the ease of
testing large numbers of clinical specimens in a significantly shorter
turnaround time compared to culture.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Magee-Women's
Research Institute, 204 Craft Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213. Phone: (412) 641-4104. Fax: (412) 641-6156. E-mail: jordanja+{at}pitt.edu.
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