This Article Full Text 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 Hardick, J. Articles by Gaydos, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hardick, J. Articles by Gaydos, C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, December 2003, p. 5619-5622, Vol. 41, No. 12
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.12.5619-5622.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Use of the Roche LightCycler Instrument in a Real-Time PCR for Trichomonas vaginalis in Urine Samples from Females and Males

Division of Infectious Disease,¹ Department of Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,² Baltimore City Health Department, Baltimore, Maryland³

Received 25 June 2003/ Returned for modification 26 August 2003/ Accepted 21 September 2003

Trichomonas vaginalis is the agent of a highly prevalent sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can result in vaginitis, urethritis, and preterm birth. Traditional methods of diagnosis, including wet preparation, can be unreliable. In this study, we describe the adaptation of an existing PCR method for specific detection of T. vaginalis DNA into a rapid real-time PCR assay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) probe chemistry. The FRET-based assay described demonstrated high sensitivity with a detection limit of 1.06 organisms, as well as a high specificity. A total of 253 urine samples collected prospectively from both men and women were tested for T. vaginalis DNA with both the FRET-based assay and a previously validated PCR assay. When the validated PCR assay was used as the "gold standard" and after discrepancies had been resolved, our FRET-based assay demonstrated an analytical sensitivity and specificity of 90.1 and 100%, respectively. Overall results suggest that FRET-based assays can provide rapid, accurate, and high-throughput detection of T. vaginalis and may prove useful in clinical settings and for large-scale screening programs.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Gaydos, C A, Hsieh, Y-H, Galbraith, J S, Barnes, M, Waterfield, G, Stanton, B (2008). Focus-on-Teens, sexual risk-reduction intervention for high-school adolescents: impact on knowledge, change of risk-behaviours, and prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases. Int J STD AIDS 19: 704-710 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Simpson, P., Higgins, G., Qiao, M., Waddell, R., Kok, T. (2007). Real-time PCRs for detection of Trichomonas vaginalis {beta}-tubulin and 18S rRNA genes in female genital specimens. J Med Microbiol 56: 772-777 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hardick, A., Hardick, J., Wood, B. J., Gaydos, C. (2006). Comparison between the Gen-Probe Transcription-Mediated Amplification Trichomonas vaginalis Research Assay and Real-Time PCR for Trichomonas vaginalis Detection Using a Roche LightCycler Instrument with Female Self-Obtained Vaginal Swab Samples and Male Urine Samples. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 4197-4199 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hobbs, M. M., Lapple, D. M., Lawing, L. F., Schwebke, J. R., Cohen, M. S., Swygard, H., Atashili, J., Leone, P. A., Miller, W. C., Sena, A. C. (2006). Methods for Detection of Trichomonas vaginalis in the Male Partners of Infected Women: Implications for Control of Trichomoniasis. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 3994-3999 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Van Der Pol, B., Kraft, C. S., Williams, J. A. (2006). Use of an Adaptation of a Commercially Available PCR Assay Aimed at Diagnosis of Chlamydia and Gonorrhea To Detect Trichomonas vaginalis in Urogenital Specimens. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 366-373 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Espy, M. J., Uhl, J. R., Sloan, L. M., Buckwalter, S. P., Jones, M. F., Vetter, E. A., Yao, J. D. C., Wengenack, N. L., Rosenblatt, J. E., Cockerill, F. R. III, Smith, T. F. (2006). Real-Time PCR in Clinical Microbiology: Applications for Routine Laboratory Testing. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 19: 165-256 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Mallat, H., Podglajen, I., Lavarde, V., Mainardi, J.-L., Frappier, J., Cornet, M. (2004). Molecular Characterization of Trichomonas tenax Causing Pulmonary Infection. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 3886-3887 [Full Text]