Evaluation of serial urine viral cultures for the diagnosis of cytomegalovirus infection in neonates and infants.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of congenital infection worldwide. Urine viral culture is the standard for CMV diagnosis in neonates and infants. The objectives of this study were to compare the performance of serial paired rapid shell vial cultures (SVC) and routine viral cultures (RVC), and to determine the optimal number of cultures needed to detect positive cases.

Comparison of the FDA-approved CDC DENV-1-4 real-time reverse transcription-PCR with a laboratory-developed assay for dengue virus detection and serotyping.

Dengue virus (DENV) is the agent of the most common vector-borne disease worldwide. Using 199 clinical samples collected from Nicaragua and Sri Lanka, a laboratory-developed DENV multiplex real-time reverse transcription-PCR (rRT-PCR) proved more clinically sensitive than the FDA-approved CDC assay for DENV serotypes 1 to 4 when measured against a composite reference standard, with sensitivities of 97.4% versus 87.

Diagnosis of congenital CMV using PCR performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded placental tissue.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection may be asymptomatic until hearing loss manifests in childhood. Because diagnosis of congenital CMV requires viral detection within an infant's first 21 days of life, CMV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) placental tissue provides a unique opportunity to identify congenital exposure in cases in which CMV is not initially suspected. To assess the utility of this approach, a database of all CMV cultures performed from July 2001 to March 2012 was used to identify infants in whom urine CMV cultures were obtained within 100 days of life.

A comparison of CMV detection in gastrointestinal mucosal biopsies using immunohistochemistry and PCR performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) can precipitate and exacerbate gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal injury. The gold standard for CMV detection in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue is immunohistochemistry (IHC). Although CMV polymerase chain reaction (PCR) on fresh tissue may be a valuable adjunct to IHC, its utility is unknown for FFPE tissues.

Single-reaction, multiplex, real-time rt-PCR for the detection, quantitation, and serotyping of dengue viruses.

Background: Dengue fever results from infection with one or more of four different serotypes of dengue virus (DENV). Despite the widespread nature of this infection, available molecular diagnostics have significant limitations. The aim of this study was to develop a multiplex, real-time, reverse transcriptase-PCR (rRT-PCR) for the detection, quantitation, and serotyping of dengue viruses in a single reaction.