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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2001, p. 4413-4419, Vol. 39, No. 12
Department of Medical Microbiology and
Virology1 and University Children's
Hospital,2 Christian-Albrechts University,
Kiel, Germany
Received 27 November 2000/Returned for modification 20 March
2001/Accepted 27 September 2001
Detection of parvovirus B19 DNA offers diagnostic advantages over
serology, particularly in persistent infections of immunocompromised patients. A rapid, novel method of B19 DNA detection and quantification is introduced. This method, a quantitative PCR assay, is based on
real-time glass capillary thermocycling (LightCycler [LC]) and
fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The PCR assay allowed
quantification over a dynamic range of over 7 logs and could quantify
as little as 250 B19 genome equivalents (geq) per ml as calculated for
plasmid DNA (i.e., theoretically
0095-1137/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JCM.39.12.4413-4419.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
New LightCycler PCR for Rapid and Sensitive
Quantification of Parvovirus B19 DNA Guides Therapeutic Decision-Making
in Relapsing Infections


5 geq per assay). Interrater
agreement analysis demonstrated equivalence of LC-FRET PCR and
conventional nested PCR in the diagnosis of an active B19 infection
(kappa coefficient = 0.83). The benefit of the new method was
demonstrated in an immunocompromised child with a relapsing infection,
who required an attenuation of the immunosuppressive therapy in
addition to repeated doses of immunoglobulin to eliminate the virus.
*
Corresponding author. Present address: Food and
Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, Max-Eyth Strasse 5, D-24537
Neumuenster, Germany. Phone: 49 4321 904 766. Fax: 49 4321 766 619. E-mail: timm.harder{at}lvua-sh.de.
Present address: Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's
Hospital, Department of Medicine, Boston, MA 02115.
Present address: Center for Preventive Pediatrics, Department of
Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University Children's Hospital, Johannes-Gutenberg University, D-55101 Mainz, Germany.
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