Abstract

REAL TIME POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (RT-PCR) FOR MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS IN SERPIGINOUS CHOROIDITIS- A STUDY OF 29 CASES

Author(s):*Radha Annamalai, Jyotirmay Biswas, S Sudharshan , R Gayathri ,K Lily Therese, Viswanathan S, Namitha Bhuvaneswari

A study of real time Polymerase Chain Reaction for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) DNA in 29 cases of active serpiginous choroiditis. Design: Case control study. Methods: DNA extraction from the aqueous humor was carried out using QIAMP DNA extraction kit. Real- time Polymerase Chain reaction (RTPCR) for MTB was carried out using Genosen’s Mtb complex quantitative Real time PCR kit. All patients were also subjected to complete blood count, venereal disease research laboratory test, chest radiograph, QuantiFERON TB Gold test on the blood and polymerase chain reaction on a sample of aqueous humor. Results: Aqueous aspirate showed copies of mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in one out of twenty nine cases of serpiginous choroiditis. Direct smear and culture for mycobacteria was negative in all cases. Conclusion: RTPCR identifies MTB DNA in suspected latent tuberculosis in serpiginous choroiditis with high specificity. Serpiginous choroiditis and multifocal choroiditis due to tuberculosis may resemble each other clinically but have distinct clinical features which can be confirmed by real time polymerase chain reaction performed on the aqueous humor The association between serpiginous choroiditis and tuberculosis would be a chance association or if present a rare association.

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