Ian W.J. Carter & Margret Schuller 
PCR for Clinical Microbiology 
An Australian and International Perspective

Not another textbook, but a valuable tool for doctors and microbiologists wanting to know how to set up a PCR diagnostic microbiology laboratory according to current regulatory standards and perform assays supplied with patient clinical diagnostic criteria and easy to follow protocols. Whether laboratories are using commercial kits or in-house methods developed in their own laboratories or adopted from published methods, all clinical microbiology laboratories need to be able to understand, critically evaluate, perform and interpret these tests according to rigorous and clinically appropriate standards and international guidelines. The cost and effort of development and evaluation of in-house tests is considerable and many laboratories do not have the resources to do so. This compendium is a vehicle to improve and maintain the clinical relevance and high quality of diagnostic PCR. It is a unique collection of; guidelines for PCR laboratory set up and quality control, test selection criteria, methods and detailed step by step protocols for a diagnostic assays in the field of molecular microbiology. The structure of the book provides the PCR fundamentals and describes the clinical aspects and diagnosis of infectious disease. This is followed by protocols divided into; bacteria, virus, fungi and parasites, and susceptibility screens. The inclusion of medical criteria and interpretation adds value to the compendium and benefits clinicians, scientists, researchers and students of clinical diagnostic microbiology

Table of Content

PCR Fundamentals.- PCR Basics.- PCR Methodology.- Laboratory Accreditation Standards.- Clinical Aspects and Diagnosis of Infectious Disease.- Meningitis and Encephalitis.- Respiratory Infections.- Blood-Borne Disease.- Enteric Infections.- Sexually Transmitted Infections.- PCR Protocols for Bacterial Pathogens.- Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella parapertussis.- Brucellosis – The Role of PCR in Diagnosis and Management.- Burkholderia cepacia Complex and Burkholderia gladioli.- Chlamydia and Lymphogranuloma Venereum (LGV).- Chlamydophila.- Coxiella burnetii.- Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Pathotypes (DEP) Including Enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC)/Shiga-toxin E. coli (STEC).- Haemophilus ducreyi and Klebsiella granulomatis.- Haemophilus influenzae – Capsulated and Non-typeable.- Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex.- Mycobacteria Other Than Mycobacterium tuberculosis.- Mycoplasma genitalium.- Mycoplasma pneumoniae.- Neisseria gonorrhoeae.- Neisseria meningitidis.- Pseudomonas aeruginosa.- Rickettsia.- Streptococcus pneumoniae.- Treponema pallidum.- Universal Bacterial Identification by PCR and DNA Sequencing of 16S r RNA Gene.- PCR Protocols for Viral Pathogens.- Adenovirus.- Cytomegalovirus (CMV).- Dengue Virus.- Enterovirus.- Epstein Barr Virus.- Flavivirus.- Hepatitis A Virus.- Hepatitis B Virus.- Hepatitis C Virus.- Hepatitis D Virus.- Hepatitis E Virus.- Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 and 2.- Human Bocavirus.- Human Coronaviruses.- Human Herpes Viruses -6, -7 and -8.- Human Papillomavirus.- Human Polyomaviruses – JCV and BKV.- Human Polyomaviruses – KIV and WUV.- Human Rhinoviruses.- Influenza Virus A H5N1 (“Avian Influenza”).- Influenza Virus A H1N1 (2009) (“Human Swine Influenza”).- Influenza Type C.- Measles Virus.- Norovirus.- Respiratory Syncytial Virus Types A and B.- Rotavirus.- Varicella Zoster virus.- Eight Commonly Recognised Respiratory Viruses.- Detection of CMV, HSV, VZV, EBV and Enterovirus by Multiplex PCR.- PCR Protocols for Fungal and Parasitic Pathogens.- Aspergillus Species.- Cryptosporidium.- Cyclospora.- Dientamoeba fragilis.- Entamoeba histolytica.- Giardia.- Malaria (P. falciparum, P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale).- Microsporidia.- Pneumocystis jirovecii.- Trichomonas vaginalis.- Toxoplasma gondii.- Multiplex PCR for Protozoan Parasites.- Universal Detection and Identification of Fungi by PCR and DNA Sequencing.- Susceptibility Screening.- An Introduction to Antimicrobial Susceptibility Screening.- PCR Assays in Detecting Methicillin Resistance in Staphylococci: Coagulase Negative Staphylococci (CNS), S. aureus, and MRSA with the PVL Gene.- Detection of VRE: van A and van B Genes by PCR.- Metallo ? Lactamases Gene blaimp, blaspm and blavim Detection by Multiplex Real-Time Taq Man Assay on the Smartcycler.- PCR-Sequencing for Detection of Human Cytomegalovirus Mutations Conferring Antiviral Resistance.- Erratum to: Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex.