Abstract
A method utilizing the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for amplification ofCandida albicansDNA has been developed for diagnosis of candidiasis. The specific oligonucleotide primers used were selected on the basis of the nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding the secretory aspartate proteinase ofC. albicans.
A 10-year-old girl who had symptoms compatible with meningitis due to fungal infection was studied by PCR. A 273-base-pair DNA fragment from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was amplified and the specificity was confirmed by Southern blotting analysis using a specific oligonucleotide probe. Although there was no obvious etiologic route of fungal infection of the CSF in this patient, cultures taken from the CSF were positive forC. albicans.
It has been difficult to diagnose Candida meningitis early, because cultures from CSF are often negative forCandida. This study demonstrated that PCR can be useful as a rapid and sensitive diagnostic method for cases of fungal infection, as has already been shown for viral and bacterial infection.
