Accuracy of LAMP-TB Method for Diagnosing Tuberculosis in Haiti.

The procedure of ultra-rapid extraction (PURE) and loop-mediated isothermal amplification for tuberculosis (LAMP-TB) is a simple and rapid manual tuberculosis diagnostic with medium-throughput capability. Because of its simplicity, this method could be useful in resource-limited conditions such as microscopy centers in developing countries. This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical performance of this method in a point-of-care setting.

Determination of epidemiology of clinically isolated Cryptococcus neoformans strains in Japan by multilocus sequence typing.

Cryptococcus neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii are the causative agents of cryptococcosis. Despite its importance, our knowledge of the epidemiology of cryptococcosis in Japan remains limited. To establish an epidemiological database on cryptococcosis in Japan, we determined the genetic variability of 44 Japanese clinical isolates of C.

The first isolation of Nocardia nova from an HIV-1 infected individual in Japan.

Nocardia species are opportunistic pathogens of immunocompromised patients. We report a case of Nocardia nova infection complicating Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) in an HIV-1 infected individual. A 27-year-old man with hemophilia A was admitted on October 17, 2000, with fever and dyspnea.

Disseminated coccidioidomycosis with intra- and paravertebral abscesses.

We report a case of paravertebral and intravertebral abscesses caused by Coccidioides immitis in a Japanese man. The patient had lived in Arizona, United States, for 5 years, and suffered from overt disease after coming back to Japan. Culture of pus from the paravertebral abscess revealed Coccidioides immitis, and a diagnosis of disseminated coccidioidomycosis was made.