1Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Sri Ramachandra University, Porur, Chennai, India
2Director of Uvea & Ocular Pathology Department, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
3Consultant, Department of Uvea, Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, India
4Postdoctoral fellow, L & T Microbiology Research Centre, Vision Research Foundation, KNBIRVO Building 41, College Road, Chennai -600 006
5Senior Professor and HOD, L & T Microbiology Research Centre, Vision Research Foundation, KNBIRVO Building 41, College Road, Chennai -600 006
6Professor of Ophthalmology, Muthukumaran Medical College, Chennai, India
7Director and Professor, Ophthalmology, Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Chennai, India
*Corresponding author email: drradhaannamalai@yahoo.co.in
Online published on 10 July, 2014.
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.
DNA extraction from the aqueous humor was carried out using QIAMP DNA extraction kit. Real-time Polymerase Chain reaction (RT-PCR) 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.
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.
RT-PCR 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.
Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Serpiginous choroiditis, Ampiginous choroiditis, tuberculosis, QuantiFERON TB Gold test
