The Efficiency of the Polymerase Chain Reaction Methods for the Detection of Common Pathogens in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Publisher



Jamaati H¹ ; Bahrami N^{2, 3} ; Tabarsi P⁴ ; Abedini A⁵ ; Emami H⁶ ; Pourabdollah M¹ ; Daustany M⁷ ; Hasani Y⁸ ; Noorbazargan H⁹ ; Rasi Varaei SS¹⁰ ; Mohamadnia A^{1, 9} Show Affiliations
Source: Minerva Pneumologica Published:2020

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of obstructive lung disease characterized by long-term breathing problems and poor airflow. It tends to worsen or progress over time. Some COPD cases may also develop bacterial infections, such as Haemophilus influenzae (Hi), Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp), Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp), and Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cp). The present study aimed at employ the molecular methods conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR as two complementary and more sensitive methods for detecting such infections. METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study, for which a total of 109 samples of respiratory secretion were collected from the COPD patients suspected of having bacterial infection under the supervision of a pulmonologist. Then, the samples were subject to DNA extraction. The next step included some molecular experiments using available kits and specially designed primers. Finally, they were analyzed through statistical tests. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in terms of gender (P value >0.05). The patients aged 62.4±12.2 on average. In the case of Mp, 3 out of 109 subjects were found to be positive using the kits, while two ones proved to be positive using the primers (the second method). In the case of Hi, 12 and 9 subjects were positive by using standard kits and employing second method, respectively. The obtained relative frequencies for Mp and Hi were respectively 3% and 11%. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the methods under study proved efficient in terms of sensitivity and accuracy as compared to both traditional/conventional methods and similar research findings. In addition, PCR with the designed primers exhibited acceptable results in terms of sensitivity and specificity as compared to PCR with commercial kits. © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA.