Comparison of Quantitative Reverse Transcription-PCR to Viral Culture for Assessment of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Shedding

AUTOR(ES)

Falsey, Ann R.

FONTE

American Society for Microbiology

RESUMO

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has recently been recognized as a serious pathogen in elderly and immunocompromised adults. Diagnosis of acute infection in adults is often difficult due to the insensitivity of viral culture, and reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) is a more sensitive alternative. The relationship of quantitative RT-PCR to viable virus has never been studied for RSV. Therefore, we compared a quantitative real-time RT-PCR with viral culture to assess viral load in adult volunteers challenged with the RSV A2 strain. Twelve of 13 volunteers were infected, and there was a high correlation (r = 0.84) between quantitative RT-PCR and viral titer by cell culture. However, RT-PCR was more sensitive, with 73 of 169 (43%) samples positive compared to 58 (34%) samples positive by culture. The correlation between the two tests was highest early in the course of viral shedding (r = 0.91, days 0 to 6), whereas during days 7 to 13, there was more variability (r = 0.70). All subjects were culture negative by day 11, whereas one subject remained RT-PCR positive on day 12. All subjects were RT-PCR negative at day 28 postinfection. Quantitative RT-PCR has an excellent correlation with viral titers, as measured by culture, and should be a useful tool for future studies addressing viral load and disease pathogenesis.

Documentos Relacionados

• Diagnosis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: Comparison of Reverse Transcription-PCR to Viral Culture and Serology in Adults with Respiratory Illness
• Comparison of an Immunochromatography Test with Multiplex Reverse Transcription-PCR for Rapid Diagnosis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections
• Quantitative Competitive Reverse Transcription-PCR for Quantification of Dengue Virus RNA
• Detection of respiratory syncytial virus by reverse transcription-PCR and hybridization with a DNA enzyme immunoassay.
• Direct Detection of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Parainfluenza Virus, and Adenovirus in Clinical Respiratory Specimens by a Multiplex Reverse Transcription-PCR Assay