Evaluation of three polymerase chain reaction techniques for detection of Brucella DNA in peripheral human blood

Brucellosis is a widespread zoonosis. Currently the diagnosis of this zoonosis is based on microbiological and serological laboratory tests. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been used to detect DNA from Brucella. Different target genes, primer pairs, PCR techniques, and extraction procedures have previously been published for Brucella detection. But only a few of these primers have been used in human samples, and only one study has been carried out to compare sensitivity between them. In the present study, 3 sets of primers and 3 different PCR protocols amplifying 3 different regions of the Brucella genome were compared for detection of Brucella DNA in a peripheral-blood PCR assay to conclude which is most suitable for the clinical diagnostic laboratory. These 3 pairs of primers amplify 3 different fragments included in (i) a gene encoding a 31 kDa Brucella abortus antigen (B4/B5), (ii) a sequence 16S rRNA of B. abortus (F4/R2), and (iii) a gene encoding an outer membrane protein (omp-2) (JPF/JPR). Some modifications on the reported techniques were applied during the present work to improve the outcome. The results showed that the B4/B5 primer pair had the highest sensitivity for detection of positive samples (98%), the JPF/JPR primer pair detected 88.4% of positive samples, whereas F4/R2 primer pair was the least sensitive, being able to detect only 53.1% of positive samples. The specificity of the 3 techniques was 100%. The B4/B5 primer pair was also able to detect the smallest number of bacteria (700 cfu/mL), whereas JPF/JPR was able to detect 7 x 105 cfu/mL and F4/R2 was able to detect 7 x 107 cfu/mL. It is thus concluded that using the B4/B5 primer PCR with the suggested modifications is a robust assay, which meets the sensitivity requirements to be used for testing of human blood samples for brucellosis in the diagnostic laboratory.     

Preliminary development of a diagnostic test for Brucella using polymerase chain reaction

A highly sensitive and specific diagnostic test for Brucella based on polymerase chain reaction is under development in our laboratory. A commercially available PCR kit was used to create primers that allowed the amplification of a 635 bp fragment of a 43 kDa outer membrane protein gene from Brucella abortus strain 19. We successfully amplified the cloned gene present in the pMS64 plasmid and genomic Brucella S19 DNA. The amplified DNA was easily detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. Using both the pMS64 plasmid and Br. abortus S19 purified DNA as template each component of the PCR reaction was adjusted for the optimum amplification of the DNA sequence. Optimum specific amplification resulted when the primer annealing temperature was 60C. The gene fragment was amplifiable in 25 different Brucella species and strains. To test the specificity of the reaction, DNA extracted from 17 micro-organisms possibly associated with cattle were tested. No amplification was observed. The sensitivity of the reaction was determined with different concentrations of genomic Brucella strain 19 DNA. As little as 0.1 pg DNA (less than 100 brucella cells) could be detected. The specificity and sensitivity of PCR combined with its simplicity and speed suggests the potential of this technique for routine diagnosis of brucellosis.     

Preliminary development of a diagnostic test for Brucella using polymerase chain reaction

A highly sensitive and specific diagnostic test for Brucella based on polymerase chain reaction is under development in our laboratory. A commercially available PCR kit was used to create primers that allowed the amplification of a 635 bp fragment of a 43 kDa outer membrane protein gene from Brucella abortus strain 19. We successfully amplified the cloned gene present in the pMS64 plasmid and genomic Brucella S19 DNA. The amplified DNA was easily detected by agarose gel electrophoresis. Using both the pMS64 plasmid and Br. abortus S19 purified DNA as template each component of the PCR reaction was adjusted for the optimum amplification of the DNA sequence. Optimum specific amplification resulted when the primer annealing temperature was 60 degrees C. The gene fragment was amplifiable in 25 different Brucella species and strains. To test the specificity of the reaction, DNA extracted from 17 micro-organisms possibly associated with cattle were tested. No amplification was observed. The sensitivity of the reaction was determined with different concentrations of genomic Brucella strain 19 DNA. As little as 0.1 pg DNA (less than 100 brucella cells) could be detected. The specificity and sensitivity of PCR combined with its simplicity and speed suggests the potential of this technique for routine diagnosis of brucellosis.     

Direct detection of Brucella spp. in raw milk by PCR and reverse hybridization with 16S-23S rRNA spacer probes.

The 16S-23S rRNA spacer regions of Brucella abortus, B. melitensis, and B. suis were cloned and subcloned after PCR amplification. Sequence analysis of the inserts revealed a spacer of about 800 bp with very high ( > 99%) homology among the three species examined. Two genus-specific primer pairs, BRU-P5-BRU-P8 and BRU-P6-BRU-P7, that could be used in a nested PCR format and three genus-specific DNA probes, BRU-ICG2, BRU-ICG3, and BRU-ICG4, were deduced from this spacer. The specificity and sensitivity of both primer sets and probes were examined by testing them against a collection of 18 Brucella strains and 56 strains from other relevant taxa by using PCR and the Line Probe Assay (LiPA), respectively. A method for direct detection of Brucella spp. in 1 ml of raw milk was developed on the basis of enzymatic treatment of the milk components and subsequent PCR and LiPA hybridization. After a single PCR, sensitivities of 2.8 x 10(5) and 2.8 x 10(4) CFU/ml were obtained for detection by agarose gel electrophoresis and LiPA, respectively. Nested PCR yielded a sensitivity of 2.8 x 10(2) CFU/ml for both methods.     

Real-time PCR detection of Brucella abortus: a comparative study of SYBR green I, 5'-exonuclease,and hybridization probe assays

Real-time PCR provides a means of detecting and quantifying DNA targets by monitoring PCR product accumulation during cycling as indicated by increased fluorescence. A number of different approaches can be used to generate the fluorescence signal. Three approaches-SYBR Green I (a double-stranded DNA intercalating dye), 5'-exonuclease (enzymatically released fluors), and hybridization probes (fluorescence resonance energy transfer)-were evaluated for use in a real-time PCR assay to detect Brucella abortus. The three assays utilized the same amplification primers to produce an identical amplicon. This amplicon spans a region of the B. abortus genome that includes portions of the alkB gene and the IS711 insertion element. All three assays were of comparable sensitivity, providing a linear assay over 7 orders of magnitude (from 7.5 ng down to 7.5 fg). However, the greatest specificity was achieved with the hybridization probe assay.     

Proteomic analysis of Brucella abortus cell envelope and identification of immunogenic candidate proteins for vaccine development

Brucella abortus is the etiologic agent of bovine brucellosis and causes a chronic disease in humans known as undulant fever. In livestock the disease is characterized by abortion and sterility. Live, attenuated vaccines such as S19 and RB51 have been used to control the spread of the disease in animals; however, they are considered unsafe for human use and they induce abortion in pregnant cattle. For the development of a safer and equally efficacious vaccine, immunoproteomics was utilized to identify novel candidate proteins from B. abortus cell envelope (CE). A total of 163 proteins were identified using 2-DE with MALDI-TOF MS and LC-MS/MS. Some of the major protein components include outer-membrane protein (OMP) 25, OMP31, Omp2b porin, and 60 kDa chaperonin GroEL. 2-DE Western blot analyses probed with antiserum from bovine and a human patient infected with Brucella identified several new immunogenic proteins such as fumarate reductase flavoprotein subunit, F0F1-type ATP synthase alpha subunit, and cysteine synthase A. The elucidation of the immunome of B. abortus CE identified a number of candidate proteins for developing vaccines against Brucella infection in bovine and humans.     

A combined DNA vaccine encoding BCSP31, SOD, and L7/L12 confers high protection against Brucella abortus 2308 by inducing specific CTL responses

We constructed a combined DNA vaccine comprising genes encoding the antigens BCSP31, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and L7/L12 and evaluated its immunogenicity and protective efficacy. Immunization of mice with the combined DNA vaccine offered high protection against Brucella abortus (B. abortus) infection. The vaccine induced a vigorous specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) response, with higher IgG2a than IgG1 titers. Cytokine profiling performed at the same time showed a biased Th1-type immune response with significantly increased interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-alpha stimulation. CD8(+), but not CD4(+), T cells accumulated at significantly higher levels after administration of the vaccine. Granzyme B-producing CD8(+) T cells were significantly higher in number in samples prepared from combined DNA-vaccinated mice compared with S19-vaccinated mice, demonstrating that the cytotoxicity lysis pathway is involved in the response to Brucella infection. The success of our combined DNA vaccine in a mouse model suggests its potential efficacy against brucellosis infection in large animals.     

Escheriosomes entrapped DNA vaccine co-expressing Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase and IL-18 confers protection against Brucella abortus

In the present study, we evaluated prophylactic prospective of liposome based DNA vaccine co-expressing Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) along with interleukin-18 (IL-18) against experimental murine brucellosis. The immunization schedule involves liposome-mediated delivery of pVsod (encoding SOD of Brucella abortus) and pVIL18-sod (encoding IL-18 of mouse and SOD of B. abortus) DNA constructs. The data highlight potential of Escherichia coli lipid liposome (escheriosome) based DNA delivery vehicle to induce SOD specific humoral and cellular immune responses in the immunized mice. The co-expression of SOD along with IL-18 ensued in higher lymphoproliferative response and IFN-gamma production in comparison to the group of animals that were immunized with free form of SOD-DNA. Antibody response developed upon immunization with both DNA vaccines was of IgG2a type mainly. The results of the present study show that co-expression of IL-18 along with SOD polarized the antigen specific immune responses toward Th-1 direction, a desirable feature to control intracellular pathogens.     

复合探针荧光定量PCR法检测布鲁氏菌的实验研究

目的：建立用复合探针荧光定量PCR快速检测布鲁氏菌的方法。方法：研究根据BSCP31基因编码31KDa的布鲁氏杆菌表面蛋白的核苷酸序列设计特异引物,通过PCR法的特异性、灵敏度和重复性研究,建立了复合探针荧光定量PCR检测布鲁氏菌的方法。用于布鲁氏菌病的筛选和诊断。结果：结果表明该检测方法的特异性为100％,最低可检出10个拷贝的质粒DNA分子,可对1×10^1-1×10^6拷贝范围内的模板进行定量,最低可检测至1×10^2CFU／ml细菌。该方法的精密度好,阳性质控品和阴性质控品不同时间测定三次及同一时间五次重复实验结果CV值均小于5％。结论：本研究建立的复合探针实时荧光定量PCR检测布鲁氏杆菌的方法,可对布鲁氏病原菌进行快速检测,对布病的筛选和确诊具有重要意义。     

DNA vaccination of bison to brucellar antigens elicits elevated antibody and IFN-γ responses

Brucella abortus remains a threat to the health and well-being of livestock in states bordering the Greater Yellowstone Area. During the past several years, cohabitation of infected wildlife with cattle has jeopardized the brucellosis-free status of Idaho, USA; Wyoming, USA; and Montana, USA. Current livestock B. abortus vaccines have not proven to be efficacious in bison (Bison bison) or elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni). One problem with the lack of vaccine efficacy may stem from the failure to understand wildlife immune responses to vaccines. In an attempt to understand their immune responses, bison were vaccinated with eukaryotic DNA expression vectors encoding the Brucella periplasmic protein, bp26, and the chaperone protein, trigger factor (TF). These DNA vaccines have previously been shown to be protective against Brucella infection in mice. Bison were immunized intramuscularly at weeks 0, 2, and 4 with bp26 and TF DNA vaccines plus CpG adjuvant or empty vector (control) plus CpG. Blood samples were collected before vaccination and at 8, 10, and 12 wk after primary vaccination. The results showed that bison immunized with bp26 and TF DNA vaccines developed enhanced antibody, proliferative T cell, and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) responses upon in vitro restimulation with purified recombinant bp26 or TF antigens, unlike bison immunized with empty vector. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the percentages of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T lymphocytes from the DNA-vaccinated groups were significantly greater than they were for those bison given empty vector. These data suggest that DNA vaccination of bison may elicit strong cellular immune responses and serve as an alternative for vaccination of bison for brucellosis.     

Rapid detection of Brucella spp. by the loop-mediated isothermal amplification method

Aims:  To develop a rapid and sensitive method for detecting Brucella spp.
Methods and Results:  Two sets of six Brucella -specific primers for loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) were designed from the sequence of the Brucella abortus BCSP31 gene. The specificity and sensitivity were examined for six Brucella species (22 strains) and 18 non- Brucella species (28 strains). The LAMP assay was specific to Brucella spp. in 35 min at 63°C and sensitive (detected 10 fg of genomic DNA). The assay was also applied for the detection of Brucella DNA in contaminated milk and infected mouse organs.
Conclusions:  We developed a sensitive and specific LAMP assay for Brucella spp., with the test appearing to be useful for the detection of the pathogen from clinical and food samples.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  This is the first report of the development of LAMP for the detection of Brucella spp. As the LAMP assay can be performed at a constant temperature and its reactivity is directly observed with the naked eye without electrophoresis, our assay should be useful for the diagnosis of brucellosis as well as the detection of the bacteria in environmental or food samples.     

Effect of polymorphisms in the Slc11a1 coding region on resistance to brucellosis by macrophages in vitro and after challenge in two Bos breeds (Blanco Orejinegro and Zebu)

The resistance/susceptibility of selected cattle breeds to brucellosis was evaluated in an F1 population generated by crossing animals classified as resistant (R) and susceptible (S) (R x R, R x S, S x R, S x S) based on challenges in vitro and in vivo. The association between single nucleotide polymorphisms identified in the coding region of the Slc11a1 gene and resistance/susceptibility was estimated. The trait resistance or susceptibility to brucellosis, evaluated by a challenge in vitro, showed a high heritable component in terms of additive genetic variance (h(2) = 0.54 ± 0.11). In addition, there was a significant association (p < 0.05) between the control of bacterial survival and two polymorphisms (a 3'UTR and SNP4 located in exon 10). The antibody response of animals classified as resistant to infection by Brucella abortus differed significantly (p < 0.05) from that of susceptible animals. However, there was no significant association between single nucleotide polymorphisms located in the Slc11a1 gene and the antibody response stimulated by a challenge in vivo.     

Specificity of six gene sequences for the detection of the genus Brucella by DNA amplification

M. DA COSTA, J.-P. GUILLOU, B. GARIN-BASTUJI, M. THIÉBAUD AND G. DUBRAY. 1996. DNA extracted from all Brucella species, reference and vaccine strains were amplified by PCR using primers specific for the genes encoding a 31-kDa Brucella protein, the heat shock proteins (DnaJ, DnaK, HtrA and GroEL) and 16S RNA. No difference was found between Brucella species and biovars with all primer pairs used, even after restriction enzyme analysis of the amplified fragments. The specificity of the amplified products was confirmed by hybridization with a digoxigenin 3'-labelled specific probe and by PCR using 98 non- Brucella micro-organisms' DNA. Only Ochrobactrum anthropi and Phyllobacterium spp. yielded a PCR product by using 31-kDa DnaK, DnaJ, GroEL and 16S RNA primers. After hybridization and restriction analysis, 16S RNA fragments of 3301 and 3331 O. anthropi strains showed a total similarity to those from Brucella. A similar result was shown with DnaJ fragments obtained with 3301 strain of O. anthropi after Eco RI digestion.     

全细胞多重PCR检测蓝藻、微囊藻及产毒微囊藻方法初探

选取三对分别针对微囊藻、蓝藻16S rDNA及微囊藻毒素合成酶基因mcyB的保守序列的特异性引物209F/409R、27F1/409R、MTR/MTF,其中409R为一条共用引物。设计并优化了一种可以同时检测蓝藻和微囊藻的两重全细胞PCR方法和一种可以同时检测蓝藻、微囊藻和可产毒微囊藻的三重全细胞PCR方法,并且测试了这两种PCR反应的灵敏度区间,分别为10⁵～10³cell·mL^-1、10⁵～10²cell·mL^-1。对采集水库水样检测结果表明双重全细胞PCR方法可以直接应用于对天然水样的检测,三重全细胞PCR方法可用于实验室培养藻细胞的筛查。全细胞多重PCR方法具有快速、简便、准确等特点,在水体微囊藻毒素检测预警方面具有应用价值。     

Lipoproteins, not lipopolysaccharide, are the key mediators of the proinflammatory response elicited by heat-killed Brucella abortus

Inflammation is a hallmark of brucellosis. Although Brucella abortus, one of the disease's etiologic agents, possesses cytokine-stimulatory properties, the mechanism by which this bacterium triggers a proinflammatory response is not known. We examined the mechanism whereby heat-killed B. abortus (HKBA), as well as its LPS, induces production of inflammatory cytokines in monocytes/macrophages. Polymyxin B, a specific inhibitor of LPS activity, did not inhibit the production of TNF-alpha- and IL-6-induced HKBA in the human monocytic cell line THP-1. HKBA induced the production of these cytokines in peritoneal macrophages of both C3H/HeJ and C3H/HeN mice, whereas B. abortus LPS only stimulated cells from C3H/HeN mice. Anti-TLR2 Ab, but not anti-TLR4 Ab, blocked HKBA-mediated TNF-alpha and IL-6 production in THP-1 cells. Because bacterial lipoproteins, a TLR2 ligand, have potent inherent stimulatory properties, we investigated the capacity of two B. abortus lipoproteins, outer membrane protein 19 (Omp19) and Omp16, to elicit a proinflammatory response. Lipidated (L)-Omp16 and L-Omp19, but not their unlipidated forms, induced the secretion of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12 in a time- and dose-dependent fashion. Preincubation of THP-1 cells with anti-TLR2 Ab blocked L-Omp19-mediated TNF-alpha and IL-6 production. Together, these results entail a mechanism whereby B. abortus can stimulate cells from the innate immune system and induce cytokine-mediated inflammation in brucellosis. We submit that LPS is not the cause of inflammation in brucellosis; rather, lipoproteins of this organism trigger the production of proinflammatory cytokines, and TLR2 is involved in this process.     

Detection of a specifically amplified DNAfragment in Brucella abortus by arbitrarilyprimed polymerase chain reaction

Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiles of Brucella and non-Brucella DNA were established after polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification. Five arbitrary oligonucleotide primers were screened to generate Brucella-specific DNA fingerprints. The arbitrary primer OPB-01 (5-GTTTCGCTCC-3) produced DNA bands specific to Brucella. Amplification conditions must be optimized for reproductibility. Accordingly, we optimized and established the conditions, which included Mg²⁺, enzyme (DNA polymerase), primer, template and deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) concentrations as well as the optimum number of thermal cycles to produce OPB-01 directed Brucella DNA fingerprints.The optimized RAPD method can produce a 1.3 kb DNA fragment specific to Brucella. This DNA fragment was common to eight biovars of B. abortus and one biovar of B. melitensis. The fragment was not detected in genetically related species such as Ochrobactrum anthropi and other non-Brucella organisms associated with farm animals. We anticipate the use of this fragment as a possible probe for the detection of Brucella organisms.     

Immunogenicity and protective potential of a bacterially expressed recombinant dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase (rE2o) of Brucella abortus in BALB/c mice

Brucellosis is one of the world's major zoonoses. No vaccine is available for the prevention of brucellosis in human. Efforts are needed to develop an effective, safe, stable, vaccine with long lasting immunity against human brucellosis. Here, we cloned and expressed recombinant dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase (rE2o) of Brucella abortus in Escherichia coli and purified up to homogeneity by metal affinity chromatography. The purified rE2o is immunoreactive with brucellosis positive cattle sera. The immunogenicity and the protective potential of recombinant dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase (rE2o) were evaluated in BALB/c mice with two different adjuvants i.e., Freund's and aluminium hydroxide gel. Mice were tested for humoral immune response by ELISA. Cell mediated immune response was tested by lymphocyte proliferation assay and cytokine profiling. The recombinant E2o (rE2o) generated high IgG antibody and its isotypes IgG1, and induced significant production of INF-γ, IL-10 and IL-4 cytokines. The rE2o protein induced significant lymphoproliferation of splenocytes. Altogether, these results suggest that rE2o induces a mixed but a predominant Th2 type of immune response in BALB/c mice and provides partial protection against challenge with pathogenic Brucella abortus.     

新疆绵羊种布鲁氏菌HtrA基因的克隆与序列分析

根据已发表的牛流产型布鲁氏菌(B.abrotus)HtrA(High temperature requirment A)基因的核酸序列设计引物,从新疆绵羊种布鲁氏菌(B.ovis)基因组中扩增到了大约1600bp的片段。将该片段纯化后克隆到PBS-T载体上,对所得到的重组质粒进行PCR鉴定、酶切分析后,对克隆的片段进行测序表明,新疆绵羊种布鲁氏菌HtrA基因与发表的牛流产型布鲁氏菌、马耳他布鲁氏菌(B.melitensis)、猪种布鲁氏菌(B.suis)的HtrA基因核苷酸序列的同源性分别为99.68%、99.81%、99.55%,推导的氨基酸序列也存在很高的同源性。     

Comparative study of the diagnostic value of Brucella allergens in a controlled epidemiological trial

The diagnostic value of 4 brucellar allergens used in Burnet's test has been studied in a controlled epidemiological trial. All these preparations have proved to be specific. According to the data of complex evaluation (taking into account reactogenicity, sensitivity, and specificity), the intradermal allergen consisting of the polysaccharide/protein complex extracted from acetone-dried cells of Brucella abortus vaccine strain 19 BA has shown the highest diagnostic effectiveness both in brucellosis patients and in persons immunized against brucellosis.     

Combined S99/RB51 antigen for complement fixation test for serological diagnosis of brucellosis in cattle and sheep

AIMS: To assess the efficiency of a single antigen for the complement fixation (CF) test, prepared by combining Brucella abortus smooth strain 99 (S99) with Brucella abortus rough strain RB51(RB51), in detecting cattle and sheep infected or vaccinated with Brucella spp. METHODS AND RESULTS: Serum samples from B. abortus-infected and RB51-vaccinated cattle were tested by the CF test using S99, RB51 and the combined S99/RB51 as antigens. Likewise, serum samples from Brucella melitensis-infected, RB51-vaccinated and Brucella ovis-infected sheep were tested by the CF test using S99, RB51, hot saline (HS) and combined S99/RB51 as antigens. Comparative analysis of the CF results showed that no reduction of sensitivity or specificity occurs when S99/RB51 antigen is used instead of specific antigens used separately. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study indicated that combined S99/RB51 antigen used in the CF test, because of its specificity and sensitivity, could be used in animal brucellosis surveillance systems to improve the efficiency of the preliminary screening of herds. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study proposes an improved antigen for the CF test for the epidemiological survey of animal brucellosis. It could represent advantages over standard protocols because of its ability to detect antibody responses following infection or vaccination withBrucella strains of rough and smooth phenotype.