人博卡病毒TaqMan探针实时定量PCR检测方法的建立及初步应用

目的:建立人博卡病毒(HBoV)核酸特异、快速、敏感的TaqMan探针实时定量PCR检测方法,并对临床样本进行检测。方法:比对编码HBoV非结构蛋白NP-1的基因序列,选取其保守片段设计引物和探针,建立实时荧光定量PCR检测方法,并与传统PCR方法进行比较,然后分别对两者的灵敏性、特异性、稳定性及临床样本检验的适用性等进行评价。结果:所建立的实时定量PCR检测方法可用于HBoV的特异性检测;相对于传统PCR所达到的250拷贝/反应的检测灵敏度,实时定量PCR的检测灵敏度可高达10拷贝/反应,检测范围为109～101拷贝/反应,且具有良好的特异性和重复性;初步用于76份临床呼吸道标本检测,检出阳性5例,高于普通PCR方法(3/76)。结论:建立了HBoV TaqMan探针实时定量PCR检测方法,并可用于临床鼻咽拭子样本的检测,为开展HBoV流行病学监测及早期临床诊断提供了技术手段。     

Simple duplex fecal PCR assay that allows identification of false-negative results in Helicobacter sp.-infected mice

We designed a simple and sensitive duplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for detection of false-negative results during routine Helicobacter sp. feces analysis. We took advantage of the various Lactobacillus species that form part of the normal intestinal flora of laboratory rodents to improve our PCR diagnostic assays. Using this one-step PCR assay, we were able to rule out false-negative results without the need of adding internal standard molecules. This is an important quality control for PCR diagnostic tests, since the presence of inhibitors in feces can prevent detection of Helicobacter infections using PCR analysis. Use of this Lactobacillus group-specific PCR assay can be extended to other feces tests used in mouse quality-control programs.     

一种检测马尔尼菲青霉菌实时荧光定量PCR方法的建立和应用

目的:建立一种检测马尔尼菲青霉菌的实时荧光定量PCR的方法。方法:针对马尔尼菲青霉菌5.8S rRNA设计特异性PCR引物,采用核酸荧光染料SYBR GreenⅠ进行实时荧光定量PCR检测,探讨该方法的灵敏度和特异性,并进行临床样品检测验证。结果:该方法的特异性较好,与该菌属内的其他细菌间无交叉反应;灵敏度可检测出10个细胞/mL全血,在检测范围内线性良好,相关系数R2=0.981。临床样品检测和传统的培养方法结果完全相符。结论:该方法特异性好,灵敏度高,操作简单,检测时间短;临床样品检测具有很好的准确性,从本研究的结果显示实时荧光定量PCR方法在检测马尔尼菲青霉菌中的应用可以大大缩短临床的诊断时间,提高临床诊断的准确度和效率。     

三重PCR检测鱼类致病性嗜水气单胞菌

[目的]建立一种能够快速准确地检测致病性嗜水气单胞菌的PCR.方法.[方法]根据嗜水气单胞菌的16S rRNA、气溶素基因(aer)和丝氨酸蛋白酶基因(ahp)的保守序列设计了3对引物,然后进行了PCR反应条件的优化、特异性和敏感性的检测并与普通的细菌分离鉴定进行了临床样本和人工攻毒样本检出率的比较.[结果]该方法特异性好,只对致病性嗜水气单胞菌呈阳性扩增;敏感性高,最低可检测100fg的细菌DNA模版.对临床疑似黄鳝(Monopterus albus)样本的检出率为81.8%,高于细菌分离的40.9%;对人工攻毒鲫鱼(Carassius auratus)样本的检出率为87.5%,高于细菌分离的67.5%.[结论]本方法的成功建立,实现在同一反应管中同时对16SrRNA、aer和ahp的检测,避免了只针对aer或ahp单个毒力基因的PCR检测方法可能存在的漏检和误检,为致病性嗜水气单胞菌的诊断、大规模检疫、流行病学调查等提供了一种快速、准确而有效的检测方法.     

Solid-phase time-resolved fluorescence detection of human immunodeficiency virus polymerase chain reaction amplification products.

A new assay system for the detection of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification products is presented. This single-pot sandwich assay system employs solid-support oligonucleotide-coated capture beads, a rare earth metal chelate-labeled probe, and a time-resolved fluorescence detection. The new assay system was evaluated for various reaction conditions including, DNA denaturation time, hybridization salt concentration, probe concentration, and hybridization time, all of which are important in designing an assay with a high level of sensitivity for the detection of duplex DNA. This nonisotopic assay system was applied to the detection of purified human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) DNA and sensitivity was compared with agarose gel electrophoresis and slot blot hybridization using a 32P-labeled probe. We were able to detect the amplified product from one copy of HIV DNA after 35 cycles of PCR amplification in less than 30 min using this assay, which compared with one copy by gel electrophoresis after 40 cycles of PCR amplification and one copy by slot blot hybridization after 35 cycles of PCR amplification and an overnight exposure of the autoradiogram. Thus, this assay is rapid, sensitive, and easy to use.     

Improving Precision of Proximity Ligation Assay by Amplified Single Molecule Detection

Proximity ligation assay (PLA) has been proven to be a robust protein detection method. The technique is characterized by high sensitivity and specificity, but the assay precision is probably limited by the PCR readout. To investigate this potential limitation and to improve precision, we developed a digital proximity ligation assay for protein measurement in fluids based on amplified single molecule detection. The assay showed significant improvements in precision, and thereby also detection sensitivity, over the conventional real-time PCR readout.     

Simultaneous detection of Aeromonas salmonicida,Flavobacterium psychrophilum,and Yersinia ruckeri,three major fish pathogens,by multiplex PCR

A multiplex PCR assay based on the 16S rRNA genes was developed for the simultaneous detection of three major fish pathogens, Aeromonas salmonicida, Flavobacterium psychrophilum, and Yersinia ruckeri. The assay proved to be specific and as sensitive as each single PCR assay, with detection limits in the range of 6, 0.6, and 27 CFU for A. salmonicida, F. psychrophilum, and Y. ruckeri, respectively. The assay was useful for the detection of the bacteria in artificially infected fish as well as in fish farm outbreaks. Results revealed that this multiplex PCR system permits a specific, sensitive, reproducible, and rapid method for the routine laboratory diagnosis of infections produced by these three bacteria.     

Molecular-Beacon Multiplex Real-Time PCR Assay for Detection of Vibrio cholerae

A multiplex real-time PCR assay was developed using molecular beacons for the detection of Vibrio cholerae by targeting four important virulence and regulatory genes. The specificity and sensitivity of this assay, when tested with pure culture and spiked environmental water samples, were high, surpassing those of currently published PCR assays for the detection of this organism.     

Development of a PCR protocol for sensitive detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water samples.

The development of a reliable method of using PCR for detection of Cryptosporidium oocysts in environmental samples with oligonucleotide primers which amplify a portion of the sequence encoding the small (18S) subunit of rRNA producing a 435-bp product was demonstrated. The PCR assay was found to provide highly genus-specific detection of Cryptosporidium spp. after release of nucleic acids from oocysts by a simple freeze-thaw procedure. The assay routinely detected 1 to 10 oocysts in purified oocyst preparations, as shown by direct microscopic counts and by an immunofluorescence assay. The sensitivity of the PCR assay in some seeded environmental water samples was up to 1,000-fold lower. However, this interference was eliminated by either flow cytometry or magnetic-antibody capture. Sensitivity was also improved 10- to 1,000-fold by probing of the PCR product on dot blots with an oligonucleotide probe detected by chemiluminescence. Confirmation of the presence of Cryptosporidium oocysts in water samples from the outbreak in Milwaukee, Wis., was obtained with this technique, and PCR was found to be as sensitive as immunofluorescence for detection of oocysts in wastewater concentrates.     

Detection of methicillin- and aminoglycoside-resistant genes and simultaneous identification of S. aureus using triplex real-time PCR Taqman assay

In this study we describe a triplex real-time PCR assay that enables the identification of S. aureus and detection of two important antibiotic resistant genes simultaneously using real-time PCR technology in a single assay. In this triplex real-time PCR assay, the mecA (methicillin resistant), femA (species specific S. aureus) and aacA-aphD (aminoglycoside resistant) genes were detected in a single test using dual-labeled Taqman probes. The assay gives simultaneous information for the identification of S. aureus and detection of methicillin and aminoglycoside resistance in staphylococcal isolates. 152 clinical isolates were subjected to this triplex real-time PCR assay. The results of the triplex real-time PCR assay correlated with the results of the phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility testing. The results obtained from triplex real-time PCR assay shows that the primer and probe sets were specific for the identification of S. aureus and were able to detect methicillin- and aminoglycoside-resistant genes. The entire assay can be performed within 3 h which is a very rapid method that can give simultaneous information for the identification of S. aureus and antibiotic resistance pattern of a staphylococcal isolate. The application of this rapid method in microbiology laboratories would be a valuable tool for the rapid identification of the S. aureus isolates and determination of their antibiotic resistance pattern with regards to methicillin and aminoglycosides.     

Development of a new seminested PCR method for detection of Legionella species and its application to surveillance of legionellae in hospital cooling tower water.

The presence of PCR inhibitors in water samples is well known and contributes to the fact that a practical PCR assay has not been developed for legionella surveillance. In this study, we devised a new seminested PCR assay for detection of Legionella spp. in water samples as a means of overriding the PCR inhibitors without loss of sensitivity. The seminested PCR assay utilized primers to amplify the 16S rRNA gene (LEG primers) of 39 Legionella spp. The assay was specific to legionellae, and the sensitivity was 1 fg of extracted Legionella DNA in laboratory examination. To evaluate the feasibility and sensitivity of the PCR assay in identifying the presence of legionellae, it was used to survey Legionella contamination in the water of 49 cooling towers of 32 hospitals. A commercially available EnviroAmp Legionella kit and a culture method were also used in the survey for comparison with the seminested PCR assay. The detection rates of legionellae in the samples were 91.8% (45 of 49) by the PCR assay and 79.5% (39 of 49) by the culture method. The EnviroAmp kit revealed that 30.6% of the water samples (15 of 49) contained inhibitors of the PCR amplification. However, the seminested PCR assay could produce the Legionella-specific DNA bands in 14 of the 15 samples. Although 8 of the 14 samples were positive in the first-step PCR, 6 of the 14 samples became positive in the second-step PCR. These results suggest that the effect of PCR inhibitors in samples, if any, can be reduced because of the dilution of the sample in the second-step PCR and that sensitivity of detection can be increased by the second-step PCR. Thus, the seminested PCR assay with LEG primers to amplify the 16S rRNA gene of 39 Legionella spp. was a practical and sensitive method to detect Legionella spp. in water samples.     

A fluorescence polarization assay using oligonucleotide probes for the rapid detection of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli

A hybridization assay using fluorescence polarization was combined with the asymmetric polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in a method for the detection of the verotoxin type 2 gene of verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli. Six oligonucleotide probes labeled with FITC were designed and evaluated. One of these gave a detection limit of 10(3) colony forming units per assay, and assay results could be obtained within 5 min after PCR. It appears that the detection limit was restricted mainly by the extent and fidelity of PCR amplification, rather than by the sensitivity of the fluorescence polarization technique, indicating that good probe design facilitates the rapid detection of the PCR product. The fluorescence polarization assay, in conjunction with DNA amplification by PCR, is a powerful and widely applicable method for the rapid and sensitive detection of oligonucleotide sequences.     

Development of a Lateral Flow Strip-Based Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Assay for the Detection of Haemonchus contortus in Goat Feces

Haemonchosis remains a significant problem in small ruminants. In this study, the assay of recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) combined with the lateral flow strip (LFS-RPA) was established for the rapid detection of Haemonchus contortus in goat feces. The assay used primers and a probe targeting a specific sequence in the ITS-2 gene. We compared the performance of the LFS-RPA assay to a PCR assay. The LFS-RPA had a detection limit of 10 fg DNA, which was 10 times less compared to the lowest detection limit obtained by PCR. Out of 24 goat fecal samples, LFS-RPA assay detected H. contortus DNA with 95.8% sensitivity, compared to PCR, 79.1% sensitivity. LFS-RPA assay did not detect DNA from other related helminth species and demonstrated an adequate tolerance to inhibitors present in the goat feces. Taken together, our results suggest that LFS-RPA assay had a high diagnostic accuracy for the rapid detection of H. contortus and merits further evaluation.     

Detection of human adenoviruses with real-time PCR assay using TaqMan fluorescent probes

Infections with human adenoviruses are common worldwide and cause a wide range of signs and symptoms. Nowadays in current diagnostics procedures older virological methods, such virus isolation in a cell cultures, are replaced with molecular biology tests. The aim of the study was development of real-time PCR assay for detection of human adenoviruses. DNA isolated from A549 cell line infected with five different HAdV strains was used for development of a qualitative real-time PCR assay for detection of all human adenoviruses using primers targeting a conserved region of the hexon gene and a specific TaqMan probe. The analytical sensitivity of real-time PCR assay was tested using serial dilutions of HAdV7 DNA in range between 10(0) and 10(-6). For comparison typical end-point detected PCR for adenovirus detection with the same DNA dilutions was made. The sensitivity of novel method; was about thousand-fold higher than older one. The conclusion is that real-time PCR is very advisable in diagnostics of diseases caused with adenoviruses. The high level of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and rapidity provided by this assay are favorable for the use in the detection of adenoviral DNA in clinical specimens, especially from neuroinfections or immunocompromised hosts.     

Development of a real‐time TaqMan PCR assay for the detection of porcine and bovine Torque teno virus

Aims: The goal of this study was to develop and to optimize molecular tools to detect the presence of Torque teno virus (TTV) in swine and cattle. A novel real‐time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using a TaqMan probe was developed to detect both genogroups of TTV strains. Methods and Results: Oligonucleotide primers and hybridization probes were designed based on sequence analysis of the noncoding region, a highly conserved part of the genome. The real‐time PCR assay specifically detected bovine and porcine TTV DNA without cross‐amplification of other common pathogens. The assay was compared with conventional PCR and nested‐PCR assays for the detection of porcine genogroups 1 and 2 and bovine TTV on plasma and faecal samples, and the assay was found faster, more reliable and reduced the risk of false positive results. Conclusions: The real‐time PCR assay provided better detection results for the two TTV genogroups in both swine and cattle compared to the conventional PCR assays. Significance and Impact of the Study: This new TaqMan PCR assay will be a useful tool for the detection of animal TTV strains, to evaluate the viral load from animal host and finally to identify the presence of these viruses in the agri‐food continuum.     

Polymerase chain reaction for the detection of Cryptosporidium spp. in cat feces

The objective of this study was to compare a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and a monoclonal antibody-based immunofluorescence assay (IFA) for detection of Cryptosporidium parvum in cat feces. Eight C. parvum-naive DSH cats were orally inoculated with 1 x 10(6) oocysts of a C. parvum human isolate. Fecal samples were collected before inoculation, daily for the next 30 days, and twice weekly until day 85. Methylprednisolone acetate was administered at 20 mg/kg i.m. on days 85, 92, and 99. From days 86 to 115, feces were collected daily and then up to twice weekly until day 126. Immunofluorescence assay was performed after collection of the samples, and then the samples were frozen at -70 C until assayed by PCR. Cryptosporidium parvum was detected by PCR in 101 of 353 samples and by IFA in 52 of 353 samples: 27 samples were PCR positive, IFA positive; 74 samples were PCR positive, IFA negative; 25 samples were PCR negative, IFA positive; and 227 samples were PCR negative, IFA negative. The percentage of concordance between IFA and PCR was 72%. Results of this study suggest that this PCR assay is more sensitive than IFA for detection of C. parvum in cat feces.     

Detection of human enteroviruses with real-time PCR assay using TaqMan fluorescent probe

Infections with human enteroviruses are common worldwide and cause a wide range of signs and symptoms. Nowadays in current diagnostics procedures older virological methods, such virus isolation in a cell cultures and seroneutralisation assay, are replaced with molecular biology tests. The aim of the study was development of real-time PCR assay for detection of human adenoviruses. DNA isolated from MK2 cell line infected with nineteen different enterovirus strains was used for development of a qualitative real-time PCR assay using primers targeting a conserved region of the 5'UTR region and a specific TaqMan probe. The analytical sensitivity of real-time PCR assay was tested using serial dilutions of Coxackie A9 cDNA in range between 10 degrees and 10(-8). For comparison typical end-point detected RT-PCR for enterovirus detection with the same cDNA dilutions was made. The sensitivity of novel method was about ten thousand-fold higher than older one. The conclusion is that real-time PCR is very advisable in diagnostics of diseases caused with enteroviruses. The high level of sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and rapidity provided by this assay are favorable for the use in the detection of enteroviral RNA in clinical specimens, especially from neuroinfections.     

环介导间接PCR检测方法的建立

建立环介导间接PCR检测体系,为分子诊断提供一种新的检测工具。以质粒pUC18的核苷酸序列为模板,设计两条特异性探针,采用常规PCR技术将特异性探针标记于大豆Lectin基因的左右两端充当报告基因,此标记的报告基因与待检的pUC18质粒经杂交和缺口补平后形成一环状DNA分子,然后采用反向PCR技术扩增报告基因,建立针对pUC18质粒的环介导间接PCR检测方法。结果表明,该检测方法的检测底限为0.32 pg/μL,与常规PCR相当,并且与其他质粒和动物DNA检测无交叉反应,是一种简单、快速、灵敏、特异的PCR检测方法。     

O1群霍乱弧菌实时荧光定量PCR快速检测方法的建立

目的:建立针对O1群霍乱弧菌的实时荧光定量TaqMan PCR快速检测方法,并进行模拟粪便标本的检测评价。方法:根据O1群霍乱弧菌O抗原编码基因rfb的特异性序列设计引物和TaqMan探针,建立检测O1群霍乱弧菌的实时荧光定量TaqMan PCR快速检测方法,对所建立的方法分别进行实验室内的灵敏度及特异性评价;将O1群霍乱弧菌灭活菌株悬液倍比稀释后与健康成人新鲜粪便混匀,制备成模拟带菌者粪便标本,提取DNA,进行Taq-Man PCR检测,用以评价该方法。结果:建立了快速检测O1群霍乱弧菌的实时荧光定量TaqMan PCR方法,灵敏度为每反应体系104拷贝;该方法对其他14种肠道菌DNA没有扩增;该方法对模拟粪便标本的检测灵敏度为每反应体系102 CFU。结论:建立了一种快速、高效检测O1群霍乱弧菌的荧光定量PCR检测方法,该方法可用于O1群霍乱弧菌临床粪便标本的检测。