SPECIFIC AMPLIFICATION OF ASPERGILLUS FUMlGATUS DNA BY POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION

Invasive aspergillosis (1 is a life-threatening condition in immunocompromised patients. An early diagnosis is of great importance because early treatment may resolve this potentially fatal infection. Recently, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used successfully in detecting specific DNA of several pathogen. In this study, nested PCR was used to detect DNA specific for A!.pergiflus species isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid from patients with TA. In single PCR using the outer primers a specific 384-bp fragment was amplified. Similarly, y nested PCR with inner primers, a 357-bp fragment was amplified with DNA from Aspergillus fumigatus but not from the other microorganisms. The Southern blot hybridizations confirm the specificity of the PCR procedure for A. fumigatus using the cloned 374-bp PCR product probe. In conclusion, the nested PCR method appears to be quite rapid and specific.