Streptococcus pneumoniae
Test code:
B0001 - Qualitative detection of
Streptococcus pneumoniae by polymerase chain reaction.
Streptococcus pneumoniae
is gram-positive, alpha-hemolytic, bile-soluble aerotolerant anaerobe.
Besides pneumonia, this organism causes many other types of infection,
such as acute sinusitis, otitis media, meningitis, bacteremia, sepsis,
osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, endocarditis, peritonitis,
pericarditis, cellulitis, and brain abscess.
S.
pneumoniae
is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis in humans, and is one
of the two most prevalent isolates found in ear infection, otitis
media. Several animal species, including rodents, dogs and monkeys,
can also be infected with these bacteria.
Culture
detection of S. pneumoniae
is not very sensitive compared to molecular detection by PCR. In
addition, PCR is much more specific and rapid than culture (Virolainen
et al., 1994).
Utilities:
-
Help confirm the disease causing agent
-
Shorten the time required to confirm a clinical
diagnosis of S. pneumoniae
infection.
-
Help ensure that horse populations are free of
S. pneumoniae
-
Early prevention of spread of this bacterium
-
Minimize personnel exposure to this bacterium
-
Safety monitoring of biological products that derive
from horses
References:
Virolainen,
A., Salo, P., Jero, J., Karma, P.,
Eskola, J., and Leinonen, M. (1994) Comparison of PCR assay
with bacterial culture for detecting
Streptococcus pneumoniae in
middle ear fluid of children with acute otitis media. J. Clin.
Microbiol. 32: pp2667-2670.
Specimen
requirements:
0.2 ml whole blood in
EDTA (purple top) tube, or serum, pleural fluid,
CSF or bacterial culture, shipped overnight at room temperature.
Contact Zoologix if advice is needed to determine an appropriate specimen type for a specific diagnostic application. For specimen types not listed here, please contact Zoologix to confirm specimen acceptability and shipping instructions.
For all specimen
types, if there will be a delay in shipping, or during very warm
weather, refrigerate specimens until shipped and ship with a cold pack
unless more stringent shipping requirements are specified. Frozen
specimens should be shipped so as to remain frozen in transit. See
shipping instructions for more
information.
Turnaround
time:
2 business days
Methodology:
Qualitative PCR
Normal
range:
Nondetected
