Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
10559668 | Talanta | 2011 | 11 Pages |
Abstract
Paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM) is the most prevalent mycosis in Latin-America. As for other mycosis, its importance of has been largely underestimated, partially due to the limited geographical distribution of the etiologic fungal agent (Paracoccidioides brasiliensis). However, the advent of AIDS and other immune suppressing conditions is creating an emergent need for improved diagnostic tests envisaging simpler, cheaper, faster and more sensitive and accurate detection of pathogenic fungi, especially those causing systemic and opportunistic diseases. Routine laboratorial diagnosis of PCM disease relies mainly on direct observation of the fungus. However, culture growing is slow and, too often, definite diagnosis can only be obtained at later growing stages. Immunodiagnosis is also widely employed, although usually cumbersome and complex. Enzyme-based immunoassays are more amenable to automation for high-throughput testing, but may lead to cross-reactivity with other fungi. Plus, molecular diagnosis relying on polymerase-chain reaction (PCR) and nucleic-acid hybridization, although still at early stages of application to routine diagnosis of P. brasiliensis, has triggered the development of techniques for its improved specific detection, thus contributing for epidemiological studies as well. In the future, microarrays and newer biosensing technologies, coupled to new bionanotechnological tools, will certainly improve diagnosis of PCM and other mycosis through very specific and sensitive pathogen biomolecular detection.
Keywords
SWCNTsp27ITS2SAMFETParacoccidioides brasiliensisRT-PCRRAPDRDNASNPsIgEParacoccidioidomycosisMIPSBioanalyticalgp70GP43CNTSITSIgGPCMITS1IgMrRNAHsp60cDNAComplementary DNARibosomal DNARandom amplified polymorphic DNAreverse-transcription PCRRibosomal RNAInternal transcribed spacerribonucleic acidRNAComplement fixationImmunodiffusionimmunoglobulin AImmunoglobulin Eimmunoglobulin GIgAimmunoglobulin MField-effect transistorELISAEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assayRapid testMolecular diagnosisSelf-assembled monolayerBiosensorsinternal transcribed spacer 1Internal transcribed spacer 2CNScentral nervous systemInhibition ELISAMolecularly imprinted polymersquartz crystal microbalanceQCMSingle-walled Carbon NanotubesCarbon nanotubesPCRSingle-nucleotide polymorphisms
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Physical Sciences and Engineering
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Authors
F.R.R. Teles, M.L. Martins,