Identification of Pneumocystis carinii DNA by polymerase chain reaction in necropsy lung samples from children dying of respiratory tract illnesses

Francis Kasolo; Kennedy Lishimpi; Chifumbe Chintu; Peter Mwaba; Victor Mudenda; Daniel Maswahu; Hiroshi Terunuma; Helen Fletcher; Andrew Nunn; Sebastian Lucas; Alimuddin Zumla

doi:10.1067/mpd.2002.122468

Identification of Pneumocystis carinii DNA by polymerase chain reaction in necropsy lung samples from children dying of respiratory tract illnesses

J Pediatr. 2002 Mar;140(3):367-9. doi: 10.1067/mpd.2002.122468.

Authors

Francis Kasolo¹, Kennedy Lishimpi, Chifumbe Chintu, Peter Mwaba, Victor Mudenda, Daniel Maswahu, Hiroshi Terunuma, Helen Fletcher, Andrew Nunn, Sebastian Lucas, Alimuddin Zumla

Affiliation

¹ UNZA-UCLMS (University of Zambia-University College London Medical School) Tuberculosis/HIV Research and Training Project, the JICA Infectious Diseases Project, Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia.

PMID: 11953737
DOI: 10.1067/mpd.2002.122468

Abstract

Polymerase chain reaction for Pneumocystis carinii DNA was performed on necropsy lung samples from children by means of P carinii -specific primers.P carinii DNA was identified in 22 of 22 (100%) samples with histologically proven P carinii pneumonia and 13 of 75 (17%) with non-P carinii pneumonia respiratory illness (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 83%). The low specificity precludes the use of polymerase chain reaction as an alternative to histopathologic diagnosis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Autopsy
DNA, Bacterial / analysis*
Humans
Lung / microbiology*
Pneumocystis / genetics*
Pneumocystis / isolation & purification*
Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / diagnosis*
Polymerase Chain Reaction*
Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

DNA, Bacterial