A real-time PCR method using the LightCycler (Roche Applied Science, Indianapolis, IN) was compared to a conventional PCR assay for the detection of Tropheryma whipplei in 321 clinical specimens. The LightCycler method had sensitivity and specificity comparable to the conventional method but required considerably less labor and time (3 h versus 3 to 5 days).
Division of Clinical Microbiology, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology, Mayo Clinic-Mayo Foundation, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
