Biomaterial Database

The use of an indirect fluorescent antibody test for detecting Pneumocystis carinii. 1989

R P Baughman, and S S Strohofer, and B A Clinton, and A D Nickol, and P T Frame

Department of Medicine, University of Cincinnati Medical Center, OH.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. An indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test has been developed using monoclonal antibodies specific for antigens on the surface of P carinii. We tested the sensitivity and specificity of this IFA test for detecting P carinii in respiratory specimens of immunocompromised patients with pulmonary symptoms undergoing bronchoscopy. Both the bronchial wash and bronchoalveolar lavage specimens of patients with and without P carinii pneumonia were studied. The bronchoalveolar lavage and bronchial wash specimens were examined using modified Wright-Giemsa and methenamine silver stains. In addition, aliquots of the specimen were fixed and stained with IFA and read with a fluorescent microscope. Fifty-nine patients were found to have P carinii organisms. The bronchial wash specimen has been shown to be less sensitive than the bronchoalveolar lavage specimen for detecting the presence of P carinii. In the bronchial wash specimen from these 59 patients, only 60% had positive modified Wright-Giemsa stains, and 70% had positive methenamine silver stains. The IFA stain was positive in 93% of the specimens tested (significantly higher than the other two stains). There was only one false-positive IFA test result among the 54 patients tested with negative results. We found the IFA stain to be superior to conventional stains when examining less-than-adequate specimens, such as those from bronchial washes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008709	Methenamine	An anti-infective agent most commonly used in the treatment of urinary tract infections. Its anti-infective action derives from the slow release of formaldehyde by hydrolysis at acidic pH. (From Martindale, The Extra Pharmacopoeia, 30th ed, p173)	Hexamethylenetetramine,Hexamine,Aminoform,Hexamine Silver,Methenamine Silver,Silver Methenamine,Urotropin,Methenamine, Silver,Silver, Hexamine,Silver, Methenamine
D011020	Pneumonia, Pneumocystis	A pulmonary disease in humans occurring in immunodeficient or malnourished patients or infants, characterized by DYSPNEA, tachypnea, and HYPOXEMIA. Pneumocystis pneumonia is a frequently seen opportunistic infection in AIDS. It is caused by the fungus PNEUMOCYSTIS JIROVECII. The disease is also found in other MAMMALS where it is caused by related species of Pneumocystis.	P carinii Pneumonia,P. carinii Pneumonia,P. jirovecii Pneumonia,PCP Pneumonia,Pneumocystis Pneumonia,Pneumocystosis,Pneumonia, Interstitial Plasma Cell,PCP Infection,Pneumocystis carinii Pneumonia,Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia,Pneumonia, Pneumocystis carinii,Infection, PCP,P carinii Pneumonias,P. carinii Pneumonias,P. jirovecii Pneumonias,PCP Infections,PCP Pneumonias,Pneumocystis Pneumonias,Pneumocystoses,Pneumonia, P carinii,Pneumonia, P. carinii,Pneumonia, P. jirovecii,Pneumonia, PCP,Pneumonia, Pneumocystis jirovecii,Pneumonias, PCP
D001992	Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid	Washing liquid obtained from irrigation of the lung, including the BRONCHI and the PULMONARY ALVEOLI. It is generally used to assess biochemical, inflammatory, or infection status of the lung.	Alveolar Lavage Fluid,Bronchial Lavage Fluid,Lung Lavage Fluid,Bronchial Alveolar Lavage Fluid,Lavage Fluid, Bronchial,Lavage Fluid, Lung,Pulmonary Lavage Fluid,Alveolar Lavage Fluids,Bronchial Lavage Fluids,Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluids,Lavage Fluid, Alveolar,Lavage Fluid, Bronchoalveolar,Lavage Fluid, Pulmonary,Lavage Fluids, Alveolar,Lavage Fluids, Bronchial,Lavage Fluids, Bronchoalveolar,Lavage Fluids, Lung,Lavage Fluids, Pulmonary,Lung Lavage Fluids,Pulmonary Lavage Fluids
D005189	False Positive Reactions	Positive test results in subjects who do not possess the attribute for which the test is conducted. The labeling of healthy persons as diseased when screening in the detection of disease. (Last, A Dictionary of Epidemiology, 2d ed)	False Positive Reaction,Positive Reaction, False,Positive Reactions, False,Reaction, False Positive,Reactions, False Positive
D005455	Fluorescent Antibody Technique	Test for tissue antigen using either a direct method, by conjugation of antibody with fluorescent dye (FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY TECHNIQUE, DIRECT) or an indirect method, by formation of antigen-antibody complex which is then labeled with fluorescein-conjugated anti-immunoglobulin antibody (FLUORESCENT ANTIBODY TECHNIQUE, INDIRECT). The tissue is then examined by fluorescence microscopy.	Antinuclear Antibody Test, Fluorescent,Coon's Technique,Fluorescent Antinuclear Antibody Test,Fluorescent Protein Tracing,Immunofluorescence Technique,Coon's Technic,Fluorescent Antibody Technic,Immunofluorescence,Immunofluorescence Technic,Antibody Technic, Fluorescent,Antibody Technics, Fluorescent,Antibody Technique, Fluorescent,Antibody Techniques, Fluorescent,Coon Technic,Coon Technique,Coons Technic,Coons Technique,Fluorescent Antibody Technics,Fluorescent Antibody Techniques,Fluorescent Protein Tracings,Immunofluorescence Technics,Immunofluorescence Techniques,Protein Tracing, Fluorescent,Protein Tracings, Fluorescent,Technic, Coon's,Technic, Fluorescent Antibody,Technic, Immunofluorescence,Technics, Fluorescent Antibody,Technics, Immunofluorescence,Technique, Coon's,Technique, Fluorescent Antibody,Technique, Immunofluorescence,Techniques, Fluorescent Antibody,Techniques, Immunofluorescence,Tracing, Fluorescent Protein,Tracings, Fluorescent Protein
D006658	Histoplasma	A mitosporic Onygenales fungal genus causing HISTOPLASMOSIS in humans and animals. Its single species is Histoplasma capsulatum which has two varieties: H. capsulatum var. capsulatum and H. capsulatum var. duboisii. Its teleomorph is AJELLOMYCES capsulatus.	Ajellomyces capsulatus,Cryptococcus capsulatus,Emmonsiella capsulata,Histoplasma capsulatum,Histoplasmas
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000913	Antibodies, Protozoan	Immunoglobulins produced in a response to PROTOZOAN ANTIGENS.	Protozoan Antibodies
D013194	Staining and Labeling	The marking of biological material with a dye or other reagent for the purpose of identifying and quantitating components of tissues, cells or their extracts.	Histological Labeling,Staining,Histological Labelings,Labeling and Staining,Labeling, Histological,Labelings, Histological,Stainings