Molecular Diagnosis of Lymphogranuloma Venereum: PCR-Based Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism and Real-Time PCR

Abstract

We read with interest the paper from Sturm and colleagues in which they showed a PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) to differentiate the lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) biovars from the trachoma and urogenital biovars (6). Recently an outbreak of rectal LGV infections among men having sex with men (MSM) was reported with both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients (5). Interesting from a clinical perspective is that the LGV-based genital ulcer disease (GUD) described by Sturm is not associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), while the recent outbreak of rectal LGV infections in MSM is strongly associated with HIV seropositivity. Since current commercially available diagnostics do not offer the option of distinguishing the LGV