Viral Opportunistic Infections in Organ and Tissue Transplanted Patients: Comparison between Clinical Examination and PCR

International Journal of Clinical Dentistry ISSN: 1939-5833
Volume 7, Number 1 © Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
VIRAL OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS IN ORGAN
AND TISSUE TRANSPLANTED PATIENTS:
COMPARISON BETWEEN CLINICAL EXAMINATION
AND PCR
Paulo Sérgio da Silva Santos, DDS, MSc, PhD1,
José Endrigo Tinoco-Araujo, MSc, PhDc2, Ana Paula Bloise, DDS3,
and José Roberto Pereira Lauris, MSc, PhD4
1Professor, Stomatology Department, Bauru School of Dentistry,
University of São Paulo, Bauru, Brazil
2Graduate student, Stomatology Department, Bauru School of Dentistry,
University of São Paulo, Bauru, Brazil
3Paulista University, São Paulo, Brazil
4Professor, Department of Paedodontics, Orthodontics and Public Health of Dentistry,
Bauru School of Dentistry, University of São Paulo, Bauru, Brazil
ABSTRACT
Purpose: To evaluate correlation between clinical suspicion and laboratory diagnosis
of viral opportunistic infections in transplanted patients.
Methods: We assessed 29 patients with oral infections with a clinical aspect of viral
lesions. We scraped the oral lesions, collected secretions using swab and sent samples to
the molecular biology laboratory for PCR according to the clinical diagnostic hypotheses.
Results: We found 44.8% of cases suspected of having HSV, 6.9% of CMV and in
48.3% there was doubts about the diagnosis. The PCR was positive for HSV in 34.5% of
cases, for CMV in 6.9%, for both HSV and CMV in 10.3% and negative in 46.7% of the
cases.
The sensitivity of clinical examination was 100% for both HSV and CMV, but the
possibility of having the infection by HSV or CMV was respectively 44% and 25%. We
suggest that clinical examination is not sufficient to establish the final diagnosis of viral
lesions in transplanted patients, making it necessary for exams of high reliability as the
PCR.