PLoS ONE 2010-08-01

Expanding the diagnostic use of PCR in leptospirosis: improved method for DNA extraction from blood cultures.

Steen Villumsen, Rebecca Pedersen, KarenAngeliki Krogfelt, J__rgenSkov Jensen

Index: PLoS ONE 5(8) , e12095, (2010)

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Abstract

Leptospirosis is a neglected zoonosis of ubiquitous distribution. Symptoms are often non-specific and may range from flu-like symptoms to multi-organ failure. Diagnosis can only be made by specific diagnostic tests like serology and PCR. In non-endemic countries, leptospirosis is often not suspected before antibiotic treatment has been initiated and consequently, relevant samples for diagnostic PCR are difficult to obtain. Blood cultures are obtained from most hospitalized patients before antibiotic therapy and incubated for at least five days, thus providing an important source of blood for PCR diagnosis. However, blood cultures contain inhibitors of PCR that are not readily removed by most DNA-extraction methods, primarily sodium polyanetholesulfonate (SPS).