Patients seen after treatment.

a<p>Identified by microscopy during earlier active disease episode (recorded data).</p>b<p>Microscopic findings in colon or bladder biopsy upon re-visit. DE = degenerated eggs; EO = eosinophilic infiltrates; Negative = normal histology.</p>c<p>Years post exposure = time (years) between last exposure in endemic country and PCR testing.</p>d<p>Number of earlier treatment courses since last exposure.</p>e<p>Time post treatment = time (wk = weeks; y = years) between completion of last treatment course and PCR testing.</p>f<p>Note that 10 mL plasma were processed. 1 copy per PCR mL = 1.67 copies per PCR vial.</p

Patients with Katayama syndrome.

a<p>Days post exposure with fresh water (most likely event).</p>b<p>Days post onset of symptoms.</p>c<p>Days post treatment for second visits.</p>d<p>Leukocyte count (n per nL). Average leukocyte count in patients 1 to 5: first visit, 9.48 cells/nl; second visit, 5.92 cells/nl (p<0.0017).</p>e<p>Percent eosinophiles in total leukocytes. Average eosinophile fraction in patients 1 to 5: first visit, 18.88%; second visit: 3.2% (p<0.033).</p>f<p>Enzyme immunoassay.</p>g<p>Note that 10 mL of plasma were processed. 1 copy per mL = 1.67 copies per PCR vial.</p

Cell-free <i>Schistosoma</i> DNA concentrations after treatment.

<p>DNA concentrations were plotted only for those patients still showing cell-free <i>Schistosoma</i> DNA in plasma after treatment. These data were pooled from patients who had been followed prospectively after being diagnosed with Katayama syndrome, as well as from patients examined retrospectively after concluded treatment. Linear regression analysis yielded the graph equation Y = 2.03−0.02 X. Exponential regression yielded the graph equation Y = e ^∧ −0.02 (X−30.4).</p

DNA copies per mL of pooled mouse plasma (y-axis, four mice per datum point) in mice infected intraperitoneally with 100 cercariae of <i>S. mansoni</i>.

<p>After completion of parasite maturation on day 42, mice were treated orally with praziquantel on day 45 (120 mg per kg). At the indicated times (x-axis), four mice were sacrificed, their blood pooled, and 1 mL of pooled plasma was tested as described in the <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0000422#s2" target="_blank">Materials and Methods</a> section for cell-free <i>Schistosoma</i> DNA. The untreated group is marked with an asterisk (*).</p

Cell-free <i>Schistosoma</i> DNA concentrations in plasma of patients with acute disease (Katayama syndrome) plotted against the days post exposure or post onset of symptoms when the tested samples were taken.

<p>10 mL of plasma were tested for cell-free DNA.</p

Patients with chronic disease.

a<p>Note that 10 mL of plasma were processed. 1 copy per mL = 1.67 copies per PCR vial.</p

High throughput detection of by real-time PCR with internal control system and automated DNA preparation-1

the y-axis. "+" in "cell isolation" means isolation success as confirmed by detection of inclusion bodies upon microscopy. B, box plot analysis of threshold cycle values in real-time PCR positive/conventional negative (n = 32) and real-time PCR positive/conventional PCR positive (n = 38) samples. Difference in threshold cycle values are significant (p < 0.05).<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "High throughput detection of by real-time PCR with internal control system and automated DNA preparation"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/8/77</p><p>BMC Microbiology 2008;8():77-77.</p><p>Published online 19 May 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2397412.</p><p></p

Overview of specimens collected in Belinga caves and tested by specific BelPV qPCR assay.

<p>Overview of specimens collected in Belinga caves and tested by specific BelPV qPCR assay.</p

High throughput detection of by real-time PCR with internal control system and automated DNA preparation-2

Lood (x-axis). A, Qiagen DNA mini kit; B, Qiagen M48 DNA mini kit, used on a Qiagen M48 automated DNA extraction instrument. Each datum point represents the rate of positive results in six replicate tests per concentration. Limits of detection are comparable with both methods of DNA extraction. C, Threshold cycles (y-axis) as a measure of efficiency of PCR amplification for and internal control. Each reaction contained 15 copies of plasmid-derived target gene and variable numbers of internal control plasmid pCoxmimic, as depicted on the x-axis. Results of eight replicate real-time PCR reactions per setting are shown as a result of box-plot analysis, showing the range of results by whiskers, whereby the two central quartiles of data are represented as a box. Solid line with grey boxes, target gene, broken line with white boxes, internal control. No reduced efficiency in amplification is observed for the target gene in presence of up to 100 copies of internal control. D, Correlation of DNA copies per ml as determined by real-time PCR after automated (x-axis) and manual extraction procedure (y-axis).<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "High throughput detection of by real-time PCR with internal control system and automated DNA preparation"</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/8/77</p><p>BMC Microbiology 2008;8():77-77.</p><p>Published online 19 May 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2397412.</p><p></p

Geographical location of study areas in Ghana.

<p>The study communities are represented by three red dots. The geographic coordinates on the horizontal and vertical regions of the bar show the latitude and longitude coordinates. The red lines show the roads the link the respectively communities.</p