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Identification of culture-negative fungi in blood and respiratory samples

Sidiq, Farida P
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1393517514

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Biological Sciences.
Fungi were identified as early as the 1800's as potential human pathogens, and have since been shown as being capable of causing disease in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised people. Clinical diagnosis of fungal infections has largely relied upon traditional microbiological culture techniques and examination of positive cultures and histopathological specimens utilizing microscopy. The first has been shown to be highly insensitive and prone to result in frequent false negatives, and the latter is complicated by atypical phenotype and organisms that are morphologically indistinguishable in tissues. Delays in diagnosis of fungal infections and inaccurate identification of infectious organisms contribute to increased morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients who exhibit increased vulnerability to opportunistic infection by normally nonpathogenic fungi . In this study we have retrospectively examined one-hundred culture negative whole blood samples and one-hundred culture negative respiratory samples obtained from the clinical microbiology lab at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor, MI. Samples were obtained from randomized, heterogeneous patient populations collected between 2005 and 2006. Specimens were tested utilizing cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction amplification of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of ribosomal DNA utilizing panfungal ITS primers. Positive amplicons were sequenced and compared to reference sequences in the NCBI Genbank database utilizing the BLASTn program. After testing was complete, patient characteristics including age, gender, hospital location, and length of stay were revealed and examined for potential correlations between fungal species identified and specific patient variables. Phylogenetic analysis was also performed to infer potential evolutionary relationships between the fungal species found. Our results demonstrate that basic molecular biological techniques can be utilized in clinical laboratories for rapid and sensitive identification of fungal pathogens in samples reported as culture-negative for fungal pathogens, which can facilitate rapid diagnosis and appropriate treatments.
Scott Rogers, Ph.D. (Advisor)
George Bullerjahn, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Raymond Larsen, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
W. Robert Midden, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Vipaporn Phuntumart, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
131 p.
Biology; Molecular Biology
CTAB; culture-negative fungi; internal transcribed spacer; panfungal PCR

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Sidiq, F. P. (2014). Identification of culture-negative fungi in blood and respiratory samples [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1393517514

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Sidiq, Farida. Identification of culture-negative fungi in blood and respiratory samples. 2014. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1393517514.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Sidiq, Farida. "Identification of culture-negative fungi in blood and respiratory samples." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1393517514

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

bgsu1393517514
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© 2014, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.