Diagnostic value of fluorescence real-time PCR for pneumocystis pneumonia in AIDS patients

Objective To investigate the value of fluorescence real-time PCR (RT-PCR) in diagnosing pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in AIDS patients. Methods One hundred and nine AIDS patients with a clinical suspicion of PCP in Xixi Hospital from 2013 to 2016 were enrolled. Detection results of sputum and Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) samples were compared by RT-PCR and PCR-sequence analysis. Results The total positive rates of RT-PCR and PCR-sequence analysis were 57.8% and 60.6%, respectively in 93 sputum samples and 16 BALF samples. The result of RT-PCR was in good correlation with PCR-sequence analysis with the sensitivity of 87.9% (58/66) , the specificity of 88.4% (38/43) , the positive predictive value of 92.1% and the negative predictive value of 82.6%. Sensitivity and specificity of RT-PCR in BALF specimens were both 100.0%, which were better than those in sputum samples. Conclusions RT-PCR has good sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of AIDS patients with PCP, and the detection effect in BALF is better than in sputum specimens. This method is helpful for rapid, sensitive and specific detection of PCP. Key words: HIV; Fluorescence real-time polymerase chain reaction; Polymerase chain reaction and sequence; Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid