Adult Leukemia Research Center - Infectious Disease Core Laboratory

Lawrence Corey, MD; Michael Boeckh, MD

This laboratory serves as the diagnostic infectious disease laboratory for the clinical research projects that have the occurrence or prevention of infection as primary or secondary endpoints. The Core Laboratory maintains an Infectious Disease databank that contains results of diagnostic evaluations, information on clinical parameters and clinical outcome data.

The services provided by the laboratory are:

1. A Virology/Serology laboratory that performs virus isolation and identification; antigen and tissue toxin assays for enteric pathogens; rapid viral diagnosis; and viral and Toxoplasma serologies.
2. A Microbiology/Mycology laboratory that performs bacterial, fungal and parasitic isolation and identification; antibacterial and antifungal drug susceptibility tests.

The Core laboratory is working to develop a new specimen collection bank for fungal organisms. This bank will support the development of more sensitive diagnostics for invasive fungal infections. It includes a prospective collection from patients undergoing allogeneic transplant of the following: blood, urine, and other samples taken for clinical diagnosis; and fungal isolates. The bank also collects specimens from autologous transplant patients with invasive fungal infection.

The Core laboratory is involved in studies to improve infectious disease diagnostic tests. These activities include:

• comparison of several methods for the rapid diagnosis of yeast
• rapid diagnosis of toxoplasmosis
• CMV PCR for detection of CMV in tissues
• and evaluation of HHV-6, -7 and -8 as etiologic agents of interstitial lung disease

These efforts are conducted in close collaboration with the Pathology core laboratory.

Report courtesy of Anna Marie Beckmann

---

Recent Publications

Boeckh M, Gallez-Hawkins GM, Myerson D, Zaia JA, Bowden RA. Plasma polymerase chain reaction for cytomegalovirus DNA after allogeneic marrow transplantation: comparison with polymerase chain reaction using peripheral blood leukocytes, pp65 antigenemia, and viral culture. Transplantation 1997; 64:108-13.

Boeckh M, Boivin G. Quantitation of Cytomegalovirus - Methodologic Aspects and Clinical Applications. Clin Microbiol Rev 1998; 11:533.

Limaye AP, Stensland L, Ryncarz A, Corey L, Boeckh M. CMV DNA load in plasma for the diagnosis of CMV disease before engraftment after marrow transplantation. 36th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of America, Denver, CO, November 12-15, 1998 (abstract).

Gaviria JM, Garcia PJ, Corey L, Boeckh M. Clinical and microbiological features of nontuberculous mycobacterial infections in marrow transplant recipients. 36th Annual Meeting of the Infectious Disease Society of America, Denver, CO, November 12-15, 1998 (abstract).