Detection and Characterization of Diphtheria Toxin Gene-Bearing <i>Corynebacterium</i> Species through a New Real-Time PCR Assay
Margaret M. Williams, Jessica L. Waller, Janessa S. Aneke, Michael R. Weigand, Maureen H. Diaz, Katherine E. Bowden, Ashley Simon, Yanhui Peng, Lingzi Xiaoli, Pamela K. Cassiday, Jonas M. Winchell, M. Lucia Tondella
Abstract
Respiratory diphtheria, characterized by a firmly adherent pseudomembrane, is caused by toxin-producing strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae , with similar illness produced occasionally by toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans or, rarely, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis . While diphtheria laboratory confirmation requires culture methods to determine toxigenicity, real-time PCR (RT-PCR) provides a faster method to detect the toxin gene ( tox ).
Topics & Concepts
Corynebacterium diphtheriaeDiphtheria toxinDiphtheriaCorynebacterium pseudotuberculosisCorynebacteriumBiologyMicrobiologyToxinPolymerase chain reactionReal-time polymerase chain reactionVirologyGeneBacteriaGeneticsVaccinationDiphtheria, Corynebacterium, and TetanusToxin Mechanisms and ImmunotoxinsMycobacterium research and diagnosis