Specific amplification of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi DNA from clinical specimens by polymerase chain reaction

J Clin Microbiol. 1991 Nov;29(11):2628-30. doi: 10.1128/jcm.29.11.2628-2630.1991.

Abstract

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect Rickettsia tsutsugamushi-specific DNA in clinical specimens. The primer pair used for PCR was designed from the nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the 56-kDa antigen of the Gilliam strain. Theses primers led to a 78-bp fragment by amplifying the genomic DNAs from five serovariants, i.e., the Gilliam, Karp, Kato, Kawasaki, and Kuroki strains of R. tsutsugamushi, and also the DNA from blood clots of patients with scrub typhus, even at the early stage of onset of the disease. This indicates that this method is suitable for the diagnosis of scrub typhus.

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • DNA, Bacterial / genetics*
  • DNA, Bacterial / isolation & purification
  • Evaluation Studies as Topic
  • Humans
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Oligonucleotide Probes
  • Orientia tsutsugamushi / genetics*
  • Orientia tsutsugamushi / isolation & purification
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction / methods*
  • Scrub Typhus / diagnosis

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial
  • Oligonucleotide Probes