Value 0F Polvmerase Chain Reaction In The Diagnosis Of Candida Endophthalmitis

Abstract

In this study animal model was used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of polymerase chain reaction compared with the conventional methods in the diagnosis of Candida endophthalmitis.

Polymerase chain reaction assay was found to be highly sensitive and specific test that allows rapid and accurate diagnosis of Candida endophthalmitis. Early diagnosis is critical in the management of fungal endophthalmitis as this permits prompt initiation of antifungal treatment and leads to improvement of visual prognosis.

Polymerase chain reaction was found to be much more sensitive than Gram stain and culture technique with comparable high specificity. PCR can establish the diagnosis of fungal endophthalmitis within few hours and also differentiate between different species of fungi causing endophthalmitis.

In addition to the uncommon incidence of false positive result due to contamination, PCR is much more expensive than culture teclmique and needs a will equipped laboratory to carry on the test.

Needle biopsy was found to be a simple and easy method for collection of intraocular samples. Unlike culture technique, PCR results provided us with nearly similar results for the aqueous humor and vitreous fluid samples. This result together with the ability of PCR to test a very small sample size increases the impQtiance of anterior chamber taping in the diagnosis of fungal endophthalmitis.

Sabouraud's agar is one of the most specific culture techniques for the isolation of fungi. It is inexpensive, available in almost all laboratories, and can provide antifungal sensitivity test.