Nucleic Acid-Based Detection of <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>: A Systematic Review
Pythiosis, a life-threatening infectious condition caused by <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>, has been increasingly reported in humans and animals worldwide. Antifungal drugs usually fail to control the pathogen. The surgical removal of an infected organ is the treatment of choice. Many affect...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/1/27 |
| _version_ | 1827624207146549248 |
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| author | Thanawat Sridapan Theerapong Krajaejun |
| author_facet | Thanawat Sridapan Theerapong Krajaejun |
| author_sort | Thanawat Sridapan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Pythiosis, a life-threatening infectious condition caused by <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>, has been increasingly reported in humans and animals worldwide. Antifungal drugs usually fail to control the pathogen. The surgical removal of an infected organ is the treatment of choice. Many affected patients die due to advanced infection. A timely and accurate diagnosis could lead to a better prognosis in pythiosis patients and save their lives. Although a standard culture method is available in microbiological laboratories, it is time-consuming, laborious, and insensitive for <i>P. insidiosum</i> identification. Immunological assays have been developed to improve the diagnosis of pythiosis. However, immunological methods are commercially unavailable and primarily detect anti-<i>P. insidiosum</i> antibodies, which constitute indirect evidence of pythiosis, making it challenging to differentiate a past from a recent infection. Moreover, such immunological tests cannot diagnose patients with a local infection, such as in the eye. Nucleic acid-based tests (NATs) are efficient for the direct and rapid detection of <i>P. insidiosum</i> DNA in trace-amount or culture-negative specimens. The reagents and equipment required for NATs are usually available in molecular diagnostic laboratories. Herein, we provide a systematic review to comprehensively present the principal and clinical usages, advantages, and limitations of such NATs in the detection of <i>P. insidiosum</i>. Various NATs have been established to detect <i>P. insidiosum</i>, which can be classified into amplification-based (i.e., PCR assays, isothermal tests, and next-generation sequencing methods) and non-amplification-based (i.e., DNA hybridization) techniques. This concise review on NATs constitutes an up-to-date reference with which healthcare professionals can learn about and decide upon which detection method is suitable for their respective laboratory environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:04:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5081b596c1d14ae39a5f71f516c0f75b |
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| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:04:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-5081b596c1d14ae39a5f71f516c0f75b2023-11-30T22:59:20ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2022-12-01912710.3390/jof9010027Nucleic Acid-Based Detection of <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>: A Systematic ReviewThanawat Sridapan0Theerapong Krajaejun1Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270 Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, ThailandDepartment of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270 Rama VI Road, Bangkok 10400, ThailandPythiosis, a life-threatening infectious condition caused by <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>, has been increasingly reported in humans and animals worldwide. Antifungal drugs usually fail to control the pathogen. The surgical removal of an infected organ is the treatment of choice. Many affected patients die due to advanced infection. A timely and accurate diagnosis could lead to a better prognosis in pythiosis patients and save their lives. Although a standard culture method is available in microbiological laboratories, it is time-consuming, laborious, and insensitive for <i>P. insidiosum</i> identification. Immunological assays have been developed to improve the diagnosis of pythiosis. However, immunological methods are commercially unavailable and primarily detect anti-<i>P. insidiosum</i> antibodies, which constitute indirect evidence of pythiosis, making it challenging to differentiate a past from a recent infection. Moreover, such immunological tests cannot diagnose patients with a local infection, such as in the eye. Nucleic acid-based tests (NATs) are efficient for the direct and rapid detection of <i>P. insidiosum</i> DNA in trace-amount or culture-negative specimens. The reagents and equipment required for NATs are usually available in molecular diagnostic laboratories. Herein, we provide a systematic review to comprehensively present the principal and clinical usages, advantages, and limitations of such NATs in the detection of <i>P. insidiosum</i>. Various NATs have been established to detect <i>P. insidiosum</i>, which can be classified into amplification-based (i.e., PCR assays, isothermal tests, and next-generation sequencing methods) and non-amplification-based (i.e., DNA hybridization) techniques. This concise review on NATs constitutes an up-to-date reference with which healthcare professionals can learn about and decide upon which detection method is suitable for their respective laboratory environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/1/27pythiosis<i>Pythium insidiosum</i>oomycetediagnosisnucleic acidmolecular detection |
| spellingShingle | Thanawat Sridapan Theerapong Krajaejun Nucleic Acid-Based Detection of <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>: A Systematic Review Journal of Fungi pythiosis <i>Pythium insidiosum</i> oomycete diagnosis nucleic acid molecular detection |
| title | Nucleic Acid-Based Detection of <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>: A Systematic Review |
| title_full | Nucleic Acid-Based Detection of <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>: A Systematic Review |
| title_fullStr | Nucleic Acid-Based Detection of <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>: A Systematic Review |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nucleic Acid-Based Detection of <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>: A Systematic Review |
| title_short | Nucleic Acid-Based Detection of <i>Pythium insidiosum</i>: A Systematic Review |
| title_sort | nucleic acid based detection of i pythium insidiosum i a systematic review |
| topic | pythiosis <i>Pythium insidiosum</i> oomycete diagnosis nucleic acid molecular detection |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/1/27 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT thanawatsridapan nucleicacidbaseddetectionofipythiuminsidiosumiasystematicreview AT theerapongkrajaejun nucleicacidbaseddetectionofipythiuminsidiosumiasystematicreview |