A rapid bio‐optical sensor for diagnosing Q fever in clinical specimens |
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| Authors: | Bonhan Koo Choong Eun Jin Se Yoon Park Tae Yoon Lee Jeonghun Nam Young‐Rock Jang Sun Mi Kim Ji Yeun Kim Sung‐Han Kim Yong Shin |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Convergence Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine and the Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Asan Institute of Life Sciences 88 Olympicro‐43gil, Songpa‐gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;2. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine 59 Daesangwan‐ro, Yongsan‐gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;3. Department of Technology Education, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Republic of Korea;4. Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Korea University 145 Anam‐ro, Seongbuk‐gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;5. Department of Infectious Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine 88 Olympicro‐43gil, Songpa‐gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea;6. Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, 21 Namdong‐daero 774 beon‐gil, Namdong‐gu, Incheon, Republic of Korea |
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| Abstract: | Recent zoonotic outbreaks, such as Zika, Middle East respiratory syndrome and Ebola, have highlighted the need for rapid and accurate diagnostic assays that can be used to aid pathogen control. Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by the transmission of Coxiella burnetii that can cause serious illness in humans through aerosols and is considered a potential bioterrorism agent. However, the existing assays are not suitable for the detection of this pathogen due to its low levels in real samples. We here describe a rapid bio‐optical sensor for the accurate detection of Q fever and validate its clinical utility. By combining a bio‐optical sensor, that transduces the presence of the target DNA based on binding‐induced changes in the refractive index on the waveguide surface in a label‐free and real‐time manner, with isothermal DNA amplification, this new diagnostic tool offers a rapid (<20 min), 1‐step DNA amplification/detection method. We confirmed the clinical sensitivity (>90%) of the bio‐optical sensor by detecting C. burnetii in 11 formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded liver biopsy samples from acute Q fever hepatitis patients and in 16 blood plasma samples from patients in which Q fever is the cause of fever of unknown origin.  |
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| Keywords: | bio‐optical sensor clinical specimens isothermal DNA amplification Q fever zoonosis |
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