Volume 8, Number 10—October 2002
Letter
Evaluation and Validation of a Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for Rapid Identification of Bacillus anthracis Supplement
Table 3
Results of real-time PCR and culture testing performed on 382 clinical specimensa,b
| PCR only |
PCR and culture |
Total |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nine inhalational cases | + | - | PCR + C - | PCR + C + | PCR - C - | PCR - C + | |
| Blood specimens |
5 |
20 |
9 |
5 |
35 |
0 |
74 |
| Swab specimens |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Serum specimens |
2 |
15 |
3 |
0 |
16 |
0 |
36 |
| Sputum specimens |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Tissue specimens |
0 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
7 |
| Pleural fluid |
|||||||
| specimens |
5 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
19 |
| Other specimens |
1 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
4 |
| Totals |
50 |
92 |
142 |
||||
| Seven cutaneous cases |
|||||||
| Blood specimens |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
11 |
| Swab specimens |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
3 |
| Serum specimens |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
11 |
0 |
13 |
| Sputum specimens |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Tissue specimens |
0 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
8 |
| Other specimens |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| Totals |
4 |
33 |
37 |
||||
| Four suspect cases |
|||||||
| Blood specimens |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
0 |
9 |
| Swab specimens |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
2 |
| Serum specimens |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
4 |
| Sputum specimens |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Tissue specimens |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| Other specimens |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| Totals |
5 |
12 |
17 |
||||
| Other |
|||||||
| Blood specimens |
0 |
16 |
0 |
0 |
58 |
0 |
74 |
| Swab specimens |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
14 |
0 |
15 |
| Serum specimens |
0 |
11 |
0 |
0 |
30 |
0 |
41 |
| Sputum specimens |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
| Tissue specimens |
0 |
14 |
0 |
0 |
24 |
0 |
38 |
| Other specimens | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 14 |
| Totals | 44 | 142 | 186 | ||||
aSixteen patients with laboratory-confirmed anthrax, four suspect cases of anthrax, and 74 patients on whom anthrax has been ruled out.
bPCR, polymerase chain reaction; C, culture.
