TY - JOUR
T1 - Diagnosis of Carrion's disease by direct blood PCR in thin blood smear negative samples
AU - Del Valle Mendoza, Juana
AU - Silva Caso, Wilmer
AU - Tinco Valdez, Carmen
AU - Pons, Maria J.
AU - Del Valle, Luis J.
AU - Casabona Oré, Verónica
AU - Champin Michelena, Denisse
AU - Bazán Mayra, Jorge
AU - Zavaleta Gavidea, Víctor
AU - Vargas, Martha
AU - Ruiz, Joaquim
PY - 2014/3/20
Y1 - 2014/3/20
N2 - Bartonella bacilliformis is the etiologic agent of Carrion's disease. This disease has two well established phases, the most relevant being the so called Oroya Fever, in which B. bacilliformis infect the erythrocytes resulting in severe anemia and transient immunosuppression, with a high lethality in the absence of adequate antibiotic treatment. The presence f B. bacilliformis was studied in 113 blood samples suspected of Carrion's disease based on clinical criteria, despite the absence of a positive thin blood smear, by two different PCR techniques (using Bartonella-specific and universal 16S rRNA gene primers), and by bacterial culture. The specific 16S rRNA gene primers revealed the presence of 21 B. bacilliformis and 1 Bartonella elizabethae, while universal primers showed both the presence of 3 coinfections in which a concomitant pathogen was detected plus Bartonella, in addition to the presence of infections by other microorganisms such as Agrobacterium or Bacillus firmus. These data support the need to implement molecular tools to diagnose Carrion's disease.
AB - Bartonella bacilliformis is the etiologic agent of Carrion's disease. This disease has two well established phases, the most relevant being the so called Oroya Fever, in which B. bacilliformis infect the erythrocytes resulting in severe anemia and transient immunosuppression, with a high lethality in the absence of adequate antibiotic treatment. The presence f B. bacilliformis was studied in 113 blood samples suspected of Carrion's disease based on clinical criteria, despite the absence of a positive thin blood smear, by two different PCR techniques (using Bartonella-specific and universal 16S rRNA gene primers), and by bacterial culture. The specific 16S rRNA gene primers revealed the presence of 21 B. bacilliformis and 1 Bartonella elizabethae, while universal primers showed both the presence of 3 coinfections in which a concomitant pathogen was detected plus Bartonella, in addition to the presence of infections by other microorganisms such as Agrobacterium or Bacillus firmus. These data support the need to implement molecular tools to diagnose Carrion's disease.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84902127516&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0092283
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0092283
M3 - Artículo
C2 - 24651298
AN - SCOPUS:84902127516
SN - 1932-6203
VL - 9
JO - PLoS ONE
JF - PLoS ONE
IS - 3
M1 - e92283
ER -