Exploitation of a 650 bp probe for quantification of Pneumocystis carinii

Signals obtained from serial dilutions of rat-derived Pneumocystis carinii DNA were used to assess the sensitivity of a 650-bp DNA probe which recognises both cystic and non-cystic forms. Enhanced chemiluminescence was selected as a non-radioactive detection method and signals could be semi-quantitated by scanning densitometry. This technique was used to examine the inhibitory effect of pentamidine in vitro indicating that DNA probes might be useful tools in the search for a novel therapeutic agent.