Polymerase chain reaction for the laboratory diagnosis of aseptic meningitis and encephalitis

Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria

Marisa Chesky²  Rosana Scalco²  Luciane Failace¹  Steven Read¹  Luiz Fernando Jobim¹ 

[1] ,Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre Immunology Unit

关键词: polymerase chain reaction (PCR);    cerebrospinal fluid (CSF);    central nervous system (CNS);    lymphocytic meningitis;    encephalitis;    reação em cadeia da polimerase (PCR);    líquido cefalorraquidiano (LCR);    sistema nervoso central (SNC);    meningite asséptica;    encefalite;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0004-282X2000000500008

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

A protocol for testing cerebrospinal fluid specimens using a range of PCR assays for the diagnosis of central nervous system infection was developed and used to test prospectively 383 specimens. PCR assays were used for the detection of adenovirus, Borrelia burgdorferi, enteroviruses, Epstein Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus, human herpes virus type 6, JC virus, Leptospira interrogans, Listeria monocytogenes, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus, measles virus, mumps virus, Mycobacterium sp., Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Toxoplasma gondii and varicella zoster virus. Of the 383 specimens tested in this study, 46 (12.0%) were found to be positive. The microorganisms detected were CMV, enterovirus, Epstein Barr virus, herpes simplex virus, human herpes virus type 6, JC virus, L. monocytogenes, Mycobacterium genus, Toxoplasma gondii and varicella zoster virus. The introduction of the PCR protocol described has improved the diagnosis of a range of central nervous system infections in our laboratory. We believe however that further evaluation of these assays in immunocompromised patients is necessary to better determine the predictive value of positive PCR results in these patient groups.

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