Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29287097›Full record

ArticlePloS one2017

Standardization and validation of real time PCR assays for the diagnosis of histoplasmosis using three molecular targets in an animal model.

Luisa F López, César O Muñoz, Diego H Cáceres, Ángela M Tobón, Vladimir Loparev, Oliver Clay, Tom Chiller, Anastasia Litvintseva, Lalitha Gade, Ángel González and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract readValidation Study
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 23 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. MappingApplied and environmental microbiology · 2025
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Molecular Diagnosis of Endemic Mycoses.Journal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022
    Review
  6. NewJournal of fungi (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021
    Article
  7. Diagnosis of Pulmonary Infections Due to Endemic Fungi.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Luisa F LópezMedical and Experimental Mycology Group, Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín, Colombia.
César O MuñozMedical and Experimental Mycology Group, Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín, Colombia.
Diego H CáceresMedical and Experimental Mycology Group, Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín, Colombia.
Ángela M TobónMedical and Experimental Mycology Group, Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín, Colombia.
Vladimir LoparevBiotechnology Core Facility Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
Oliver ClaySchool of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogotá, Colombia.
Tom ChillerMycotic Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
Anastasia LitvintsevaMycotic Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
Lalitha GadeMycotic Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States of America.
Ángel GonzálezBasic and Applied Microbiology Research Group (MICROBA), School of Microbiology, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
Beatriz L GómezMedical and Experimental Mycology Group, Corporación para Investigaciones Biológicas (CIB), Medellín, Colombia.ORCID 0000-0002-6641-1924
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · USCorporación para Investigaciones Biológicas · COUniversidad de Antioquia · CO

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Histoplasmosis is considered one of the most important endemic and systemic mycoses worldwide. Until now few molecular techniques have been developed for its diagnosis. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate three real time PCR (qPCR) protocols for different protein-coding genes (100-kDa, H and M antigens) using an animal model. Fresh and formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded (FFPE) lung tissues from BALB/c mice inoculated i.n. with 2.5x106 Histoplasma capsulatum yeast or PBS were obtained at 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks post-infection. A collection of DNA from cultures representing different clades of H. capsulatum (30 strains) and other medically relevant pathogens (36 strains of related fungi and Mycobacterium tuberculosis) were used to analyze sensitivity and specificity. Analytical sensitivity and specificity were 100% when DNAs from the different strains were tested. The highest fungal burden occurred at first week post-infection and complete fungal clearance was observed after the third week; similar results were obtained when the presence of H. capsulatum yeast cells was demonstrated in histopathological analysis. In the first week post-infection, all fresh and FFPE lung tissues from H. capsulatum-infected animals were positive for the qPCR protocols tested except for the M antigen protocol, which gave variable results when fresh lung tissue samples were analyzed. In the second week, all qPCR protocols showed variable results for both fresh and FFPE tissues. Samples from the infected mice at the remaining times post-infection and uninfected mice (controls) were negative for all protocols. Good agreement was observed between CFUs, histopathological analysis and qPCR results for the 100-kDa and H antigen protocols. We successfully standardized and validated three qPCR assays for detecting H. capsulatum DNA in fresh and FFPE tissues, and conclude that the 100-kDa and H antigen molecular assays are promising tests for diagnosing this mycosis.

Indexed as

Disease Models, AnimalGenes, FungalAnimalsDNA, FungalHistoplasmaHistoplasmosisLungMiceMice, Inbred BALB CMycobacterium tuberculosisReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionSensitivity and SpecificityDNA, Fungal

Identifiers

PMID29287097
PMCPMC5747470
OpenAlexW2776685972

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC0
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.