Loading...
The utility of “quantitative” microbiological tests, including PCR and other contemporary laboratory assays, in various aspects of patient care has been the focus of considerable study. Preliminary data indicate that quantitative assays of pneumococcal DNA may have both diagnostic and prognostic implications (JW Infect Dis Oct 7 2009).
Now, in a study involving 45 adults with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) who underwent blood culture, researchers in the Netherlands have evaluated use of the Streptococcus pneumoniae DNA load in blood as a diagnostic tool. Forty-three of the patients had adequate control reactions in the PCR amplification assay.
Receiver operating characteristic curves were developed to evaluate the blood DNA load, peripher…