Pneumocystis jirovecii Detection Data Comparing Real-Time and Nested PCR Assays

A new real-time PCR assay using SYBR Green provides higher sensitivity for detecting low levels of the fungal pathogen Pneumocystis jirovecii. The protocol, validated by Susana Ruiz-Ruiz, detected P. jirovecii in three nasal aspirate samples that were negative by a nested-PCR method. The dataset, last updated in 2026, compares results from this single-round protocol against a nested-PCR method targeting the mitochondrial large subunit rRNA.

Use Cases

• Validate new PCR assays based on sensitivity comparisons with established methods.
• Benchmark detection limits for Pneumocystis jirovecii based on Ct value correlations.
• Assess diagnostic performance in clinical samples based on results from nasal aspirates.

Strengths

• Assay validation includes direct comparison to a nested-PCR method, a common diagnostic target.
• The protocol detected pathogens in three samples missed by the nested-PCR method, demonstrating higher sensitivity.
• The dataset is openly available under a CC-BY-4.0 license.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The 877.3 KB file size suggests a very limited scope of data.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Laboratory validation comparing a new real-time PCR protocol against a nested-PCR method.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-12 15:20:51