JCM
Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Boutaga, K.
Right arrow Articles by Savelkoul, P. H. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Boutaga, K.
Right arrow Articles by Savelkoul, P. H. M.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2003, p. 4950-4954, Vol. 41, No. 11
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.11.4950-4954.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Comparison of Real-Time PCR and Culture for Detection of Porphyromonas gingivalis in Subgingival Plaque Samples

Khalil Boutaga,1 Arie Jan van Winkelhoff,1 Christina M. J. E. Vandenbroucke-Grauls,2 and Paul H. M. Savelkoul2*

Department of Periodontology, Section of Oral Microbiology, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam,1 Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands2

Received 24 March 2003/ Returned for modification 1 May 2003/ Accepted 4 June 2003

Porphyromonas gingivalis is a major pathogen in destructive periodontal disease in humans. Detection and quantification of this microorganism are relevant for diagnosis and treatment planning. The prevalence and quantity of P. gingivalis in subgingival plaque samples of periodontitis patients were determined by anaerobic culture and real-time PCR amplification of the 16S small-subunit rRNA gene. The PCR was performed with primers and a fluorescently labeled probe specific for the P. gingivalis 16S rRNA gene. By the real-time PCR assay, as few as 1 CFU of P. gingivalis could be detected. Subgingival plaque samples from 259 adult patients with severe periodontitis were analyzed. P. gingivalis was detected in 111 (43%) of the 259 subgingival plaque samples by culture and in 138 (53%) samples by PCR. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the real-time PCR were 100, 94, 94, and 100%, respectively. We conclude that real-time PCR confirms the results of quantitative culture of P. gingivalis and offers significant advantages with respect to the rapidity and sensitivity of detection of P. gingivalis in subgingival plaque samples.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Medical Microbiology and Infection Control, VU University Medical Center, P.O. Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Phone: 31 20 4440552. Fax: 31 20 4440473. E-mail: P.Savelkoul{at}Vumc.nl.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, November 2003, p. 4950-4954, Vol. 41, No. 11
0095-1137/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.11.4950-4954.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:



Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. Clin. Microbiol. Rev.
Clin. Vaccine Immunol. ALL ASM JOURNALS

Copyright © 2003 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.