Quantitative detection of Clostridium tyrobutyricum in milk by real-time PCR

We developed a real-time PCR assay for the quantitative detection of Clostridium tyrobutyricum, which has been identified as the major causal agent of late blowing in cheese. The assay was 100% specific, with an analytical sensitivity of 1 genome equivalent in 40% of the reactions. The quantification was linear (R(2) > 0.9995) over a 5-log dynamic range, down to 10 genome equivalents, with a PCR efficiency of >0.946. With optimized detergent treatment and enzymatic pretreatment of the sample before centrifugation and nucleic acid extraction, the assay counted down to 300 C. tyrobutyricum spores, with a relative accuracy of 82.98 to 107.68, and detected as few as 25 spores in 25 ml of artificially contaminated raw or ultrahigh-temperature-treated whole milk.     

Quantitative Detection of Clostridium perfringens in the Broiler Fowl Gastrointestinal Tract by Real-Time PCR

Strains of Clostridium perfringens are a frequent cause of food-borne disease and gas gangrene and are also associated with necrotic enteritis in chickens. To detect and quantify the levels of C. perfringens in the chicken gastrointestinal tract, a quantitative real-time PCR assay utilizing a fluorogenic, hydrolysis-type probe was developed and utilized to assay material retrieved from the broiler chicken cecum and ileum. Primers and probe were selected following an alignment of 16S rDNA sequences from members of cluster I of the genus Clostridium, and proved to be specific for C. perfringens. The assay could detect approximately 50 fg of C. perfringens genomic DNA and approximately 20 cells in pure culture. Measurements of the analytical sensitivity determined with spiked intestinal contents indicated that the consistent limit of detection with ileal samples was approximately 10² CFU/g of ileal material, but only about 10⁴ CFU/g of cecal samples. The decreased sensitivity with the cecal samples was due to the presence of an unidentified chemical PCR inhibitor(s) in the cecal DNA purifications. The assay was utilized to rapidly detect and quantify C. perfringens levels in the gut tract of broiler chickens reared without supplementary growth-promoting antibiotics that manifested symptoms of necrotic enteritis. The results illustrated that quantitative real-time PCR correlates well with quantification via standard plate counts in samples taken from the ileal region of the gastrointestinal tract.     

Quantitative Detection of Corynebacterium casei in Cheese by Real-Time PCR

The flora on the surface of smear-ripened cheeses is composed of numerous species of bacteria and yeasts that contribute to the production of the desired organoleptic properties. Due to the absence of selective media, it is very difficult to quantify cheese surface bacteria, and, consequently, the ecology of the cheese surface microflora has not been extensively investigated. We developed a SYBR green I real-time PCR method to quantify Corynebacterium casei, a major species of smear-ripened cheeses, using primers designed to target the 16S rRNA gene. It was possible to recover C. casei genomic DNA from the cheese matrix with nearly the same yield that C. casei genomic DNA is recovered from cells recovered by centrifugation from liquid cultures. Quantification was linear over a range from 10⁵ to 10¹⁰ CFU per g of cheese. The specificity of the assay was demonstrated with DNA from species related to C. casei and from other bacteria and yeasts belonging to the cheese flora. Nine commercial cheeses were analyzed by real-time PCR, and six of them were found to contain more than 10⁵ CFU equivalents of C. casei per g. In two of them, the proportion of C. casei in the total bacterial flora was nearly 40%. The presence of C. casei in these samples was further confirmed by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and by a combined approach consisting of plate counting and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We concluded that SYBR green I real-time PCR may be used as a reliable species-specific method for quantification of bacteria from the surface of cheeses.     

Quantitative Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in Biofilms by Real-Time PCR

A quantitative method based on a real-time PCR assay to enumerate Listeria monocytogenes in biofilms was developed. The specificity for L. monocytogenes of primers targeting the listeriolysin gene was demonstrated using a SYBR Green I real-time PCR assay. The number of L. monocytogenes detected growing in biofilms was 6 × 10² CFU/cm².     

枣疯病植原体实时荧光定量PCR检测方法的研究

目的:建立枣疯病植原体拷贝数检测实时荧光定量PCR方法,为枣疯病植原体定量检测提供技术支持。方法:构建质粒标准品,设计实时荧光PCR探针引物,优化体系,建立标准曲线,并进行重复性验证。结果:制备了枣疯病植原体标准质粒,建立了稳定的质粒标准品检测体系(R2=0.998,检测限10拷贝,定量限100拷贝)。结论:实时荧光定量PCR检测方法重复性好,可用于枣疯病植原体的拷贝数检测,为枣疯病植原体检验检测和病害防治提供了技术支持。     

Rapid Detection of Ceratocystis platani Inoculum by Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assay

Ceratocystis platani is the causal agent of canker stain of plane trees, a lethal disease able to kill mature trees in one or two successive growing seasons. The pathogen is a quarantine organism and has a negative impact on anthropogenic and natural populations of plane trees. Contaminated sawdust produced during pruning and sanitation fellings can contribute to disease spread. The goal of this study was to design a rapid, real-time quantitative PCR assay to detect a C. platani airborne inoculum. Airborne inoculum traps (AITs) were placed in an urban setting in the city of Florence, Italy, where the disease was present. Primers and TaqMan minor groove binder (MGB) probes were designed to target cerato-platanin (CP) and internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) genes. The detection limits of the assay were 0.05 pg/μl and 2 fg/μl of fungal DNA for CP and ITS, respectively. Pathogen detection directly from AITs demonstrated specificity and high sensitivity for C. platani, detecting DNA concentrations as low as 1.2 × 10⁻² to 1.4 × 10⁻² pg/μl, corresponding to ∼10 conidia per ml. Airborne inoculum traps were able to detect the C. platani inoculum within 200 m of the closest symptomatic infected plane tree. The combination of airborne trapping and real-time quantitative PCR assay provides a rapid and sensitive method for the specific detection of a C. platani inoculum. This technique may be used to identify the period of highest risk of pathogen spread in a site, thus helping disease management.     

Detection of Legionellae in Hospital Water Samples by Quantitative Real-Time LightCycler PCR

Contamination of hospital water systems with legionellae is a well-known cause of nosocomial legionellosis. We describe a new real-time LightCycler PCR assay for quantitative determination of legionellae in potable water samples. Primers that amplify both a 386-bp fragment of the 16S rRNA gene from Legionella spp. and a specifically cloned fragment of the phage lambda, added to each sample as an internal inhibitor control, were used. The amplified products were detected by use of a dual-color hybridization probe assay design and quantified with external standards composed of Legionella pneumophila genomic DNA. The PCR assay had a sensitivity of 1 fg of Legionella DNA (i.e., less than one Legionella organism) per assay and detected 44 Legionella species and serogroups. Seventy-seven water samples from three hospitals were investigated by PCR and culture. The rates of detection of legionellae were 98.7% (76 of 77) by the PCR assay and 70.1% (54 of 77) by culture; PCR inhibitors were detected in one sample. The amounts of legionellae calculated from the PCR results were associated with the CFU detected by culture (r = 0.57; P < 0.001), but PCR results were mostly higher than the culture results. Since L. pneumophila is the main cause of legionellosis, we further developed a quantitative L. pneumophila-specific PCR assay targeting the macrophage infectivity potentiator (mip) gene, which codes for an immunophilin of the FK506 binding protein family. All but one of the 16S rRNA gene PCR-positive water samples were also positive in the mip gene PCR, and the results of the two PCR assays were correlated. In conclusion, the newly developed Legionella genus-specific and L. pneumophila species-specific PCR assays proved to be valuable tools for investigation of Legionella contamination in potable water systems.     

Rapid Quantitative Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in Meat Products by Real-Time PCR

We describe a quick and simple method for the quantitative detection of Listeria monocytogenes in meat products. This method is based on filtration, Chelex-100-based DNA purification, and real-time PCR. It can detect as few as 100 CFU/g and quantify as few as 1,000 CFU/g, with excellent accuracy compared to that of the plate count method. Therefore, it is a promising alternative for the detection of L. monocytogenes in meat products.     

产气荚膜梭菌实时荧光PCR方法的建立

目的:利用荧光定量PCR技术,建立快速敏感特异的检测产气荚膜梭菌的方法。方法:以产气荚膜梭菌基因为靶序列设计引物和探针,以自产气荚膜梭菌菌株中提取的DNA为模板,优化引物和探针的浓度比,同时验证方法的特异性、敏感性。结果:建立的反应体系在上游引物浓度为0.45μmol/L、下游引物浓度为0.15μmol/L、探针浓度为0.3μmol/L时,具有良好的特异性和敏感性,与创伤弧菌等12种相关细菌均无交叉反应;对纯菌检测的灵敏度低于10 CFU/反应体系。结论:建立的实时荧光PCR方法特异、灵敏、快速,能对战时气性坏疽做出快速准确的报告,实现对这种战时高发疾病的安全、快速和定量检测。     

Rapid Quantitative Detection of Lactobacillus sakei in Meat and Fermented Sausages by Real-Time PCR

A quick and simple method for quantitative detection of Lactobacillus sakei in fermented sausages was successfully developed. It is based on Chelex-100-based DNA purification and real-time PCR enumeration using a TaqMan fluorescence probe. Primers and probes were designed in the L. sakei 16S-23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer region, and the assay was evaluated using L. sakei genomic DNA and an artificially inoculated sausage model. The detection limit of this technique was approximately 3 cells per reaction mixture using both purified DNA and the inoculated sausage model. The quantification limit was established at 30 cells per reaction mixture in both models. The assay was then applied to enumerate L. sakei in real samples, and the results were compared to the MRS agar count method followed by confirmation of the percentage of L. sakei colonies. The results obtained by real-time PCR were not statistically significantly different than those obtained by plate count on MRS agar (P > 0.05), showing a satisfactory agreement between both methods. Therefore, the real-time PCR assay developed can be considered a promising rapid alternative method for the quantification of L. sakei and evaluation of the implantation of starter strains of L. sakei in fermented sausages.     

Quantitative Detection of Perchlorate-Reducing Bacteria by Real-Time PCR Targeting the Perchlorate Reductase Gene

A quantitative real-time PCR assay targeting the pcrA gene, encoding the catalytic subunit of perchlorate reductase, detected pcrA genes from perchlorate-reducing bacteria in three different genera and from soil microbial communities. Partial pcrA sequences indicated differences in the composition of perchlorate-reducing bacterial communities following exposure to different electron donors.     

实时荧光定量PCR及其在传染性疾病检测中的应用

实时荧光定量PCR技术被广泛应用于实验研究、临床检测中。与普通的PCR相比,实时荧光定量PCR技术具有特异性强、灵敏度高、重复性好、定量准确、速度快、全封闭反应等优点。我们综述了实时荧光定量PCR技术的原理、定量方法,及其在传染性疾病检测研究中的应用。     

Quantitative Real-Time PCR Detection of Toxic Nodularia Cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea

A specific quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) method was developed for the quantification of hepatotoxin nodularin-producing Nodularia, one of the main bloom-forming cyanobacteria in the Baltic Sea. Specific PCR primers were designed for subunit F of the nodularin synthetase gene (ndaF), which encodes the NdaF subunit of the nodularin synthetase gene complex needed for nodularin production. The qPCR method was applied to water samples (a total of 120 samples) collected from the Baltic Sea in July 2004. As few as 30 ndaF gene copies ml⁻¹ of seawater could be detected, and thus, the method was very sensitive. The ndaF gene copy numbers and nodularin concentrations were shown to correlate in the Baltic seawater, indicating the constant production of nodularin by Nodularia. This qPCR method for the ndaF gene can be used for detailed studies of Nodularia blooms and their formation. ndaF gene copies and nodularin were detected mostly in the surface water but also in deeper water layers (down to 30 m). Toxic Nodularia blooms are not only horizontally but also vertically widely distributed, and thus, the Baltic fauna is extensively exposed to nodularin.     

Detection of Plasmodium vivax by Nested PCR and Real-Time PCR

Malaria is endemic in the Cukurova region while it is sporadic in other regions of Turkey. Therefore, the laboratory and clinical diagnosis of malaria is important for the treatment of malaria. In this study, 92 blood samples that were taken from the suspected malaria patients for routine diagnosis in a period of 10 years between 1999 and 2009 were analyzed. All of these blood samples were examined by microscopic examinations using Giemsa-stained thick blood films, nested PCR, and real-time PCR. The sensitivity-specificity and positive-negative predictive values for these diagnostic tests were then calculated. It was found that the positive predictive values of microscopic examination of thick blood films, nested PCR, and real-time PCR were 47.8%, 56.5%, and 60.9% for malaria, respectively. The real-time PCR was found to have a specificity of 75% and sensitivity of 100%, while specificity and sensitivity of nested PCR was found 81.2% and 97.7% according to the microscopic examination of thick blood films, respectively.     

实时荧光PCR快速检测食品中致敏原芹菜成分

探讨采用实时荧光PCK技术建立检测食品中致敏原芹菜成分的方法.试验结果表明:针对芹菜管家基因Mrd基因设计的特异性检测引物和探针进行检测时,31种样品经实时PCR扩增,只有芹菜和西芹样品产生阳性的荧光信号,其余样品均不产生荧光信号.灵敏度试验结果表明:该方法对芹菜致敏原基因的检测灵敏度较高,可检测到芹菜过敏原样品中10mg/kg～1mg/kg的含量.     

Detection of Clostridium tyrobutyricum spores using polyclonal antibodies and flow cytometry

Aims: The present work investigates the feasibility of using flow cytometry (FCM) combined with fluorescent‐labelled specific polyclonal antibodies for the detection and presumptive identification of Clostridium tyrobutyricum spores in bovine milk. Methods and Results: Two fluorescent molecules (fluorescein isothiocyanate and Alexa Fluor 488) were conjugated to antispores polyclonal antibodies. Side scatter and forward scatter profiles of the Cl. tyrobutyricum spores marked with fluorescent antibodies permitted the detection of spores and differentiated them from other related microbial species. The detection limit of this method was 10³ spores per 100 ml of milk, and results could be achieved in 2 h. Conclusions: FCM combined with fluorochrome‐conjugated antibodies, especially Alexa Fluor, could be an efficacious means to detect and provide presumptive identification of Cl. tyrobutyricum spores, as well as differentiation from other Clostridium species that can also cause late blowing in cheese. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study describes the basis for the development of a method suitable for analysis of milk destined for cheese manufacture that would permit the detection of Cl. tyrobutyricum spores in a short period. This would enable the industry to use contaminated milk for dairy products other than cheese where Cl. tyrobutyricum does not cause a problem.     

实时荧光定量PCR技术在转基因食品检测领域中的应用

随着基因工程技术在农业生产中应用的深入,越来越多具有改良特征的转基因植物在全球范围内得到广泛种植,随之而来的转基因食品也迅猛发展,转基因产品大规模商业化引起了对安全性问题的担忧。为保证转基因产品标签制度的顺利实施,建立快速、准确、高通量的定量检测方法十分必要。我们综述了国内外转基因食品检测技术的研究进展,重点阐述了实时荧光定量PCR技术在转基因食品检测领域中的应用,并展望了通过构建质粒标准分子的方法来实现对更多转基因植物品系的定量检测。