Real-time PCR for determining capsular serotypes of Haemophilus influenzae.

A two-step real-time PCR assay targeting all six capsulation loci of Haemophilus influenzae (i.e. serotypes a to f) was developed and compared with a previously published qualitative PCR assay by using 131 H. influenzae clinical isolates. There was a 98.5% concordance between the two tests. The sensitivity of detection of capsular type-specific reference strains of H. influenzae a to c (10(1) CFU/PCR) was higher than that for type e (10(3) CFU/PCR) and types d and f (10(4) CFU/PCR), and a broader dynamic range was obtained (5 to 8 log(10) units). No cross-reaction was observed with bacteria commonly isolated from the respiratory tract. We showed that both PCR assays are more reliable than slide agglutination serotyping. The real-time PCR-based assay seems to be an alternative of choice for the epidemiological follow-up of H. influenzae invasive infections.Journal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Cross reaction between a pan-Candida genus probe and Fusarium spp. in a fatal case of Fusarium oxysporum pneumonia.

Case ReportsJournal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Changing the outcome of toxoplasmosis in bone marrow transplant recipients.

LetterSCOPUS: le.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Rapid detection of Candida albicans in clinical blood samples by using a Taqman-based PCR assay

SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Development of a multiple internal control for clinical diagnostic real-time amplification assays.

A major pitfall in most published genomic amplification methods for the detection and identification of human pathogens is that they do not include an internal amplification control in order to achieve an acceptable level of confidence for the absence of false-negative results. By applying composite primer technology, a single multiple internal amplification control DNA molecule was constructed to detect and quantify the hepatitis B virus, human polyomavirus, Epstein-Barr virus, Toxoplasma gondii and cytomegalovirus using real-time PCR. The multiple internal amplification control contains all forward and reverse primer binding regions targeted in the five distinct duplex PCRs, but with a unique probe hybridization site. Multiple internal amplification control detection sensitivity, assessed by Probit analysis, was 58 copies per PCR, associated with an extremely wide dynamic range (8 log(10) units). Moreover, in testing 614 patient samples, PCR inhibition occurred at a frequency of 0-8.8%. Similar multiple internal amplification controls for quantitative PCR-based assays could be designed to accommodate any infectious profiles in a particular institution as they are easy to make and inexpensive.Journal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Early detection and identification of commonly encountered Candida species from simulated blood cultures by using a real-time PCR-based assay.

In a recent study, Candida species in clinical blood samples were detected using a real-time PCR-based method (Maaroufi et al, J Clin Microbiol 2003, 41:3293-3298). For the present study, we evaluated the efficiency of this method as an adjunct to the BACTEC blood culture system to early detection of positivity and negativity of simulated low candidemias. We first established an in vitro correlation between the inoculum of the most frequently encountered Candida species and the time to positivity of these microorganisms. Then, aliquots from blood culture bottles infected with a final average candidal inoculum of 3.18 colony-forming units (CFU)/culture bottle (range, 1 to 6 CFU) were collected at increasing incubation times, and DNA was extracted and submitted to the TaqMan-based PCR assay. To optimize this assay, we evaluated the effect of adding 0.5% bovine serum albumin (BSA) to DNA extracts and found that it decreased the effects of inhibitors. Using specific probes for the tested Candida species, the PCR assay was positive on blood culture aliquots collected from the BACTEC system after a minimum culture turnaround time (TAT) of 3.11 +/- 1.24 hours. Addition of BSA to PCR reaction mixtures improves the TAT (1.84 +/- 0.41 hours). Hence, the combination of DNA "amplification" in the culture bottles by normal growth with an additional DNA amplification by PCR might be a reliable tool facilitating the early diagnosis of low candidemias.Comparative StudyJournal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Pourquoi les sceaux ? La sigillographie, nouvel enjeu de l’histoire de l’art

Les sceaux médiévaux offrent une innombrable collection d’images que les historiens de l’art ont, jusqu’ici, trop peu exploitée. Cet ouvrage tente d’appréhender la sigillographie comme un domaine d’étude à part entière de l’histoire de l’art et d’analyser ce processus d’appropriation. Fruit d’un colloque interdisciplinaire (Histoire de l’art, Histoire et Archéologie) organisé par l’Institut de Recherches Historiques du Septentrion de l’Université Lille 3, en partenariat avec les Archives départementales du Nord et la Société française d’héraldique et de sigillographie, il est venu clore la première campagne de l'Inventaire des sceaux conservés aux Archives départementales du Nord (2002-2008). Les communications de vingt-neuf intervenants s’inscrivent dans trois axes principaux: l'Invention d’une discipline (De l’inventeur au chercheur), la Conceptualisation de l’image sigillaire et la Création artistique. Le dernier thème est décliné en deux domaines plus particuliers : Culture visuelle et art sigillaire, d’une part, où l’image est analysée comme outil et véhicule des stratégies emblématiques développées par les élites aristocratiques et patriciennes et les corps urbains, en tant qu’affirmation d’une identité en même temps qu’affirmation d’appartenance au groupe ; Transferts artistiques, appropriation, innovations, d’autre part, qui lient indiscutablement l’art sigillaire aux autres domaines des arts figurés et à l’architecture gothique