Evaluation of different real time PCRs for the detection of Pneumocystis jirovecii DNA in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded bronchoalveolar lavage samples.

The presence of Pneumocystis jirovecii in fresh clinical materials can be detected by PCR with high sensitivity and is thus preferred over microscopic methods. However, fresh materials are not always available, and on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded materials, PCR may result in reduced detection rates. In this study the diagnostic sensitivity of P.

Evaluation of Borrelia real time PCR DNA targeting OspA, FlaB and 5S-23S IGS and Borrelia 16S rRNA RT-qPCR.

Borrelia burgdorferi non-sensu lato (s.l.) strains occurred in the Netherlands.

Draft genome sequence of Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica BD11-00177.

Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium in the class Gammaproteobacteria. This strain is of interest because it is the etiologic agent of tularemia and a highly virulent category A biothreat agent. Here we describe the draft genome sequence and annotation of Francisella tularensis subsp.

Indigenous Infection with Francisella tularensis holarctica in The Netherlands.

We report here the first case of indigenous tularemia detected in The Netherlands, a nonendemic country, since 1953. Whole genome DNA sequence analysis assigned the isolate BD11-00177 to the genomic group B.FTNF002-00, which previously has been exclusively reported from Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.

Effect of clarithromycin treatment on Chlamydia pneumoniae in vascular tissue of patients with coronary artery disease: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Several small clinical trials have indicated that antibiotic treatment of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection is associated with a better outcome in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). It has not been demonstrated whether antibiotic treatment eradicates C. pneumoniae from vascular tissue.

Treatment with clarithromycin prior to coronary artery bypass graft surgery does not prevent subsequent cardiac events.

Background: Recently, it has been suggested that Chlamydia pneumoniae possibly plays a possible role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We investigated whether treatment with clarithromycin prior to coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery would prevent subsequent cardiovascular events and mortality.

Methods: Patients who were scheduled for CABG surgery were randomly assigned to receive either clarithromycin or placebo until the day of surgery in a double-blind trial.

Mycobacterium heckeshornense infection in an immunocompetent patient and identification by 16S rRNA sequence analysis of culture material and a histopathology tissue specimen.

Mycobacterium heckeshornense is a rare isolate in clinical specimens. We performed simultaneous 16S rRNA sequence analysis of a mycobacterium culture and a histopathology specimen to determine the relevance of M. heckeshornense infection in an immunocompetent patient initially presenting with pneumothorax.

Is the perceived association between Chlamydia pneumoniae and vascular diseases biased by methodology?

Inter- and intralaboratory inconsistencies in detection rates of Chlamydia pneumoniae in vascular specimens have been demonstrated. In this study, 66 vascular tissue specimens from 66 patients with vascular disease were tested by three PCR assays: a 16S PCR-based reverse line blot (RLB) assay, a single-step PCR, and a nested PCR. Also, we explored the impacts of different DNA polymerase enzymes on the results based on gel electrophoresis and hybridization.

Impact of serological methodology on assessment of the link between Chlamydia pneumoniae and vascular diseases.

We assessed the impact of five serologic tests on the link between Chlamydia pneumoniae and abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). The results of the tests were inconsistent. Agreement among the five tests was generally poor.

Effect of clarithromycin on inflammatory markers in patients with atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis can to a certain extent be regarded as an inflammatory disease. Also, inflammatory markers may provide information about cardiovascular risk. Whether macrolide antibiotics, especially clarithromycin, have an anti-inflammatory effect in patients with atherosclerosis is not exactly known.