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Published on: August 16, 2011
Nested polymerase chain reaction in cerebrospinal fluid for diagnosing spinal cord schistosomiasis: A promising
Igor Silvestre Bruscky1, Fábio Lopes de Melo2, Zulma Maria de Medeiros3
1School of Medicine, University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil.
Introduction:
Spinal cord schistosomiasis is a neglected, disabling neurological disease commonly identified in patients from northeast Brazil. The methods currently available for its diagnosis need improvement. PCR in feces and urine is a sensitive diagnostic tool for diagnosis of schistosomiasis, but its value in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is still unknown.
Objective:
The objective of this study was to detect Schistosoma mansoni DNA in CSF from patients with spinal cord schistosomiasis, using the nested PCR (NPCR) assay.
Methods:
This was a cross-sectional study carried out from March 2013 to January 2014 at the Aggeu Magalhães Research Center/FIOCRUZ (Pernambuco state, Brazil). NPCR was used to detect Schistosoma mansoni DNA in CSF samples from 20 patients with spinal cord schistosomiasis and 30 controls.
Results:
NPCR was positive in 16 patients with spinal cord schistosomiasis and none from the control group (sensitivity 80%; specificity 100%, positive predictive value 100%; negative predictive value 88.2%).
Conclusion:
The NPCR technique is highly sensitive and specific for diagnosis of spinal cord schistosomiasis and can be an important diagnostic tool, particularly in cases with negative CSF serology.
