Evaluation of Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assay for Identification of Common Dermatophyte Species

Abstract

Traditionally, laboratory detection and identification of dermatophytes consists of culture and microscopy which yields results within approximately 2–6 weeks. A real-time PCR assay was developed which simultaneously detects and identifies the most prevalent dermatophytes directly in nail, skin, and hair samples and has a turnaround time of less than two days. A real-time PCR assay was developed which simultaneously detects and identifies the most prevalent dermatophytes directly in nail, skin, and hair samples and has a turnaround time of less than two days. For 681 clinical samples, we compared the results obtained from both culture and real-time PCR. This study showed that real-time PCR significantly increased the detection rate of dermatophytes compared to culture. Furthermore, excellent concordance between culture and real-time PCR identification was achieved.