This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Johnson, G.
Right arrow Articles by Tellier, R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Johnson, G.
Right arrow Articles by Tellier, R.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2000, p. 3274-3279, Vol. 38, No. 9
0095-1137/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Comprehensive PCR-Based Assay for Detection and Species Identification of Human Herpesviruses

Grant Johnson, Susan Nelson,dagger Martin Petric, and Raymond Tellier*

Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Received 14 March 2000/Returned for modification 12 May 2000/Accepted 26 June 2000

The description and evaluation of a PCR-based assay for the detection and species identification of the eight known human herpesviruses are presented. Two primer pairs targeting well-conserved regions of the genome allowed the amplification of the DNAs of all known human herpesviruses at a high level of sensitivity (10 to 100 genome copies for most viruses). Identification of the virus species was achieved through restriction enzyme digestion with BamHI and BstUI, which yielded fragment sizes that were characteristic for each herpesvirus. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that this restriction enzyme panel allowed the discrimination between human herpesvirus 6 variant A and variant B. This assay format was validated over the course of 1 year in a clinical virology laboratory setting, where it was shown that it readily detected human herpesviruses, including occasional multiple infections, in a variety of clinical samples. The PCR assay was compared to isolation and electron microscopy for the detection of herpes simplex (HSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in clinical samples. All specimens positive by conventional methods were also positive by PCR. However, in a number of clinical specimens in which HSV or VZV could not be detected by conventional methods, PCR was able to demonstrate the presence of the virus.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Paediatric Laboratory Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 1X8. Phone: (416) 813-6592. Fax: (416) 813-6257. E-mail: raymond.tellier{at}sickkids.on.ca.

dagger Present address: Aventis Pasteur Canada.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, September 2000, p. 3274-3279, Vol. 38, No. 9
0095-1137/00/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • LeGoff, J., Mayaud, P., Gresenguet, G., Weiss, H. A., Nzambi, K., Frost, E., Pepin, J., Belec, L., and the ANRS 12-12 Study Group, (2008). Performance of HerpeSelect and Kalon Assays in Detection of Antibodies to Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2. J. Clin. Microbiol. 46: 1914-1918 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Elbers, J. M., Bitnun, A., Richardson, S. E., Ford-Jones, E. L., Tellier, R., Wald, R. M., Petric, M., Kolski, H., Heurter, H., MacGregor, D. (2007). A 12-Year Prospective Study of Childhood Herpes Simplex Encephalitis: Is There a Broader Spectrum of Disease?. Pediatrics 119: e399-e407 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Petrich, A., Mahony, J., Chong, S., Broukhanski, G., Gharabaghi, F., Johnson, G., Louie, L., Luinstra, K., Willey, B., Akhaven, P., Chui, L., Jamieson, F., Louie, M., Mazzulli, T., Tellier, R., Smieja, M., Cai, W., Chernesky, M., Richardson, S. E., for the Ontario Laboratory Working Group for the R, (2006). Multicenter comparison of nucleic Acid extraction methods for detection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus RNA in stool specimens.. J. Clin. Microbiol. 44: 2681-2688 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gibson, C. S, MacLennan, A. H, Goldwater, P. N, Haan, E. A, Priest, K., Dekker, G. A, South Australian Cerebral Palsy Research Group, (2006). Neurotropic viruses and cerebral palsy: population based case-control study. BMJ 332: 76-80 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Korimbocus, J., Scaramozzino, N., Lacroix, B., Crance, J. M., Garin, D., Vernet, G. (2005). DNA Probe Array for the Simultaneous Identification of Herpesviruses, Enteroviruses, and Flaviviruses. J. Clin. Microbiol. 43: 3779-3787 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Sarantis, H., Johnson, G., Brown, M., Petric, M., Tellier, R. (2004). Comprehensive Detection and Serotyping of Human Adenoviruses by PCR and Sequencing. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 3963-3969 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Bitnun, A., Allen, U., Heurter, H., King, S. M., Opavsky, M. A., Ford-Jones, E. L., Matlow, A., Kitai, I., Tellier, R., Richardson, S., Manson, D., Babyn, P., Read, S. (2003). Children Hospitalized With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Illness in Toronto. Pediatrics 112: e261-261 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Johnson, G., Ayers, M., McClure, S. C. C., Richardson, S. E., Tellier, R. (2003). Detection and Identification of Bartonella Species Pathogenic for Humans by PCR Amplification Targeting the Riboflavin Synthase Gene (ribC). J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 1069-1072 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Johnson, G., Dick, D., Ayers, M., Petric, M., Tellier, R. (2003). Detection and Species-Level Identification of Primate Herpesviruses with a Comprehensive PCR Test for Human Herpesviruses. J. Clin. Microbiol. 41: 1256-1258 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Markoulatos, P., Georgopoulou, A., Siafakas, N., Plakokefalos, E., Tzanakaki, G., Kourea-Kremastinou, J. (2001). Laboratory Diagnosis of Common Herpesvirus Infections of the Central Nervous System by a Multiplex PCR Assay. J. Clin. Microbiol. 39: 4426-4432 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»