Abstract
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from clinically diagnosed patients with detectable Angiostrongylus canto-nensis-specific antibodies (n = 10), patients with clinically suspected cases that tested negative for A. cantonensis-an-tibodies (n = 5) and patients with cerebral gnathostomiasis (n = 2) and neurocysticercosis (n = 2) were examined by a single-step polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method using the AC primers for the 66-kDa native protein gene. The PCR method detected A. cantonensis DNA in CSF samples from four of 10 serologically confirmed angiostrongyliasis cases. The PCR results were negative for the remaining CSF samples. The nucleotide sequences of three positive CSF-PCR samples shared 98.8-99.2% similarity with the reference sequence of A. cantonensis. These results indicate the potential application of this PCR assay with clinical CSF samples for additional support in the confirmation of eosinophilic meningitis due to A. cantonensis.
Highlights
Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a metastrongyloid nematode, is the major causative agent of human eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis in many parts of the world
A semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based on the HDP2 DNA sequence has been reported to be specific for the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis caused by larvae of Taenia solium in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from infected patients (Hernandez et al 2008)
From CSF samples submitted to the Parasitology Laboratory, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand, for routine antibody testing (ELISA and/or immunoblot) of tissue-invading parasites, i.e., Gnathostoma spinigerum, A. cantonensis and T. solium metacestodes, 19 CSF specimens were selected for PCR evaluation based on the volume of remaining CSF sample available for DNA analysis
Summary
Angiostrongylus cantonensis, a metastrongyloid nematode, is the major causative agent of human eosinophilic meningitis or meningoencephalitis in many parts of the world. A semi-nested PCR based on the HDP2 DNA sequence has been reported to be specific for the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis caused by larvae of Taenia solium in CSF samples from infected patients (Hernandez et al 2008). We report the application of this primer set for detection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) DNA of A. cantonensis from patients diagnosed suspected to have angiostrongyliasis caused by A. cantonensis.
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