Polymerase chain reaction in the diagnosis of onychomycosis.

Onychomycosis is a mycotic infection of the nail which accounts for 50% of all nail disorders. However, there is no predictably successful diagnostic approach to onychomycosis. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in diagnosis of onychomycosis and compare it with microscopy and culture. Fifty-two patients with clinically suspected onychomycosis were included in this study. After a sufficient amount of specimen was taken from the nail, PCR, microscopy and cultural methods were used in the examination of the samples. Out of all the 52 specimens, 40 (77%) specimens were positive by microscopy, 12 (23%) by culture, and 20 (38%) by PCR. In conclusion, if enough material can be taken, the PCR method appears to be a valuable diagnostic tool in cases where fungus can not be detected by conventional methods.

[Karyotypic investigation of two cases of invasive candidiasis]. / Invaziv iki kandidoz olgusunun karyotipik olarak incelenmesi.

Investigation of the genetic relationship of the three Candida albicans strains isolated from each of two patients, one with C. albicans meningitis and the other with pancreatic pseudocyst (PP), by PFGE (pulsed-field gel electrophoresis), was aimed in this study. Three strains of C. albicans isolated from bloodstream, abscess and drainage fluid of the patient with PP were found to show the same karyotype, while three strains of C. albicans from cerebrospinal fluid, nasopharyngeal swab culture and stool sample of the patient with meningitis were found closely related. As a conclusion, PFGE enables to give valuable information about the probable source of transmission on individual basis in these two invasive candida infections.